The Blood of Olympus
by MariaClaire
Summary: The crew of the Argo II is traveling across Greece in a race against time to stop the giants from awakening Gaea. ***Disclaimer: All characters, warships, magic swords, etc. belong to Rick Riordan.***
1. Chapter 1: Frank

*****Welcome to my version of Blood of Olympus! Obviously, Rick Riordan's actual book is going to be a thousand times better, but while waiting for it to come out, I decided to write this story for fun. Each chapter is narrated by one of the Seven and the story will be about 46 chapters long in total. This first chapter is told from Frank's point-of-view. Chapter Two will feature Percy and will be up next Wednesday, 3/19/14. Hope you enjoy!*****

**I. FRANK**

Frank was tired of hearing voices. First it had been his dad, the Roman war god Mars, arguing with his own Greek alter-ego, Ares. But since yesterday when Frank had received his battlefield promotion to praetor and led an army of ghosts to victory (yeah, his life was weird), the war god had pretty much shut up. Which would have been great if there hadn't been a new voice in Frank's head, one which he had first heard whispering to him from a tunnel within the House of Hades.

"I await you in Pylos."

That was all it said, over and over again. Between that, his nightmares, and the general stress of being under constant attack, Frank was afraid he was starting to go crazy.

After the last few weeks, he should have been used to the monster attacks, which had increased ever since Frank and his friends, the seven demigods of the current Great Prophecy, had entered the Mediterranean in their magical flying warship, the _Argo II_. But Greece had Italy beat on the sheer volume of monsters that seemed to have a personal vendetta against the _Argo II_. Maybe because Greece was _the_ original birthplace of the gods, and therefore the monsters, but since they'd left Epirus, it seemed like they were always fighting something. So when the alarm bells went off again, Frank was more resigned than afraid.

"I await you in Pylos."

"Shut up," he told the voice as he left his cabin, grabbing his bow and arrows on the way.

He ran into Piper and Annabeth coming out of the mess hall. They must have been getting breakfast, judging by the half-eaten bagel in Annabeth's hand. She was pale and a little too thin after her time in Tartarus, but overall Frank thought she and Percy were doing pretty well for two people who had just survived the worst part of the Underworld.

"All hands on deck?" she asked as Frank reached them.

"Sounds like it," he said.

Piper rolled her eyes. Frank noticed she had braided her hair without any feathers this morning; maybe because that was one less distraction in a fight. "These monsters need to get a life," she said.

"I think they prefer messing up our lives," Frank muttered.

As they reached the stairs, the ship tilted hard to port, throwing all three of them against the wall. There was a roar, a snap, a massive THUD, then a chorus of yells, punctuated by some pretty creative cussing Frank thought was coming from Leo. Frank exchanged nervous looks with Piper and Annabeth, then the three of them charged up the stairs. They froze at the top, though, as they took in the horrible sight of the monster that was attacking the ship.

A massive sea serpent was towering over the _Argo II_.

After the skolopendra and the giant turtle, Frank should have been used to nightmare monsters rising out of the ocean, but the sight of this one turned his knees to jelly. Its scales were bright, poisonous orange and encrusted with barnacles, like armor. Its mouth, lined with saber-like fangs, was big enough to eat half the ship, and crew, in one bite. Frank guessed that the only reason it hadn't already devoured them was because the serpent was distracted by Jason, who was flying around its head and trying to stab it. On deck, Percy and Hazel were attacking the monster between its barnacle armor, while Leo was running around the helm, his hands flying over the controls. The main mast and parts of the railing were missing, either bitten off or smashed by the monster.

As Frank, Annabeth, and Piper stood frozen at the top of the stairs, Percy summoned a wave, trying to push the _Argo II _away from the sea serpent, but the monster had curled its tail around the underside of the ship, holding them neatly in place while it attacked. It roared as the ship slammed into it. The serpent's tail swept over their heads, chopping the foresail in half and sending it flying over Festus's head, into the sea.

"I am _sick_ of replacing the masts," Leo yelled. "Stop destroying my ship, you stupid snake!"  
Festus roared and blew fire at the serpent's tail, leaving a ten-foot long scorch mark. The monster roared again and lunged at the dragon's head but Jason dove and plunged his sword into its left eye. The sea serpent whipped around so fast it yanked Jason's sword out of his hand and probably would have eaten him, too, if he hadn't dodged out of the way at the last second. The monster roared in pain, shaking its head to try and get the Imperial gold blade out of its eye, its whole body thrashing and sending massive waves in every direction. The ship would have been swamped if Percy hadn't deflected the waves back at the serpent.

Percy finally noticed the three of them just standing there, gaping. "A little help here?" he said between gritted teeth.

Frank shook himself out of his daze and reached for his bow. He nocked an arrow and sent it flying toward the serpent's other eye, but the monster was thrashing around so much, he missed. Annabeth and Piper drew their swords and ran to the other side of the ship, hacking at the serpent's tail, the way Percy and Hazel were attacking the body.

"Leo, get us in the air!" Hazel called as she sank her blade into the monster's body. Green ooze poured from the wound, but it didn't seem to bother the serpent. Up above, Jason had managed to retrieve his sword and added an extra kick at the monster's injured eye for good measure.

"I'm trying!" Leo yelled, banging a Wii remote against the Archimedes sphere. "The oars and the stabilizers are all out of whack again. It's going to take a minute."

"We don't have a minute," Percy said. He was thin and pale, like Annabeth, and right now his face was beaded with sweat from trying to keep the waves from flooding the ship. "We're going to sink in about thirty seconds. We need to find a way to get rid of this thing."

"It's the Ketos," Annabeth called as she dodged the monster's flailing fish tail. "Poseidon sent it to kill Andromeda after her mother bragged that she was more beautiful than Aphrodite."

"Great history lesson," Leo grumbled. "But how do we kill it?"

All of them hit the deck as the serpent's tail swept over their heads again. Green blood from its ruined eye spattered the deck, sizzling against the wood.

"Perseus, the original Perseus, turned it to stone using Medusa's head," Annabeth said as they got back to their feet and resumed trying to stab the stupid thing.

"Too bad we're a little short on Medusa heads at the moment," Percy said. The ship tilted violently as the monster struck it from below, sending the crew rolling across the deck. Hazel screamed as she fell through a hole in the broken railing, but Percy lunged and grabbed her. He managed to pull her back on deck, but he must have lost his focus on holding back the sea because a massive wave crashed onto the deck, nearly sweeping Piper and Annabeth overboard. Up above, Jason yelled in frustration and attacked the monster's head again, trying to blind it, but the serpent was too quick.

Frank shot another arrow at the monster, this time aiming for its mouth. He hit his target, but the monster didn't seem to care; in comparison to the serpent, the arrow was smaller than a toothpick. Frank'e eyes swept the deck. They needed a new strategy, and fast, before they drowned or became snake chow. At the prow, Festus roared again, managing to incinerate the corner of the serpent's fish-tail.

Fire.

Frank's plan came together in a second. _Fire,_ he thought. _That's_ _ironic_.

"We need fire!" he shouted. "Annabeth, Piper, get to the ballistae—use the flaming arrows! Leo, we'll need you and Festus. Percy, get ready to use the waves to push the ship as far away from this thing as you can!" To Frank's surprise, none of them looked shocked at his taking charge; they all did as he said. Annabeth and Piper ran for the ballistae, Leo typed in a couple of commands and started to smolder, and Percy nodded, closing his eyes and focusing on the waves.

Hazel looked at Frank. "What about us?" she asked.

"I need you to come with me and tell Jason to use lightning. We're going to see if we can fry this thing."

"Okay, but how—?"

Frank concentrated. He'd done this twice before. He pictured it in his mind, a massive, fire-breathing, flying dragon. His body expanded, getting heavier, his neck stretched, he felt fangs creep down over his lips. In a few seconds, he had become a giant lizard, wings furled against his sides.

Hazel was staring at him, her mouth open. Frank crouched lower and jerked his head, indicating that she should get on. She grinned, then climbed up his foreleg and onto his back. "Let's do this," she said.

Frank leapt into the air and unfurled his wings. Within a few seconds, he was level with the sea serpent's head.

"What the—?" Jason almost fell out of the air as Dragon Frank flew up next to him.

"We're going to try and torch this thing," Hazel called from Frank's back. "Can you hit it with some lightning?"  
Jason grinned. "Gladly."

Frank flew down so that he was about at the serpent's middle.

Hazel raised her voice. "On three! One—two—three!"

Yells rang out around the monster. Festus roared and blew fire, while at the helm Leo sent a volley of fireballs at the monster from his hands. The monster's lower half was enveloped in green flames as Piper and Annabeth fired the ballistae. A flash of light lit the sky as lightning arced off Jason's blade straight down into the serpent's skull. Waves were rising, pushing the _Argo II_ forward, out of the loop of the serpent's body. With a rush of satisfaction that his plan was working, Frank unhinged his jaw, opening his dragon's snout as wide as it would go. There was a rush of heat in his throat, then a plume of fire burst out of his mouth, searing the sea serpent.

Blackened, burning, and still sizzling with electricity, the monster gave a final roar before collapsing back into the depths of the Ionian Sea.

* * *

Frank landed on the deck with a thud. Hazel slid off and he changed into himself again. As soon as he was human, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.

"That was amazing!" she said.

"Good plan, man," Jason said, still grinning as he landed next to Frank and Hazel. "I thought we were in some serious trouble that time."

"Yeah, three cheers for Zhang's 'burn everything' strategy," Leo said from the helm where he was checking different monitors. "But we actually are in serious trouble. That thing wrecked the ship. We need to do some major repairs, plus replace both masts." He looked up at the others. "I hate to say this, but we're going to have to get back on land, or at least over it, and get some supplies."

"Cause our trips ashore have worked out so well," Frank said.

"I know, but I don't think we have a choice," Leo said. He hit a few buttons on the Archimedes sphere and clicked the "A" button on his Wii controller. A 3-D holographic image of the ship popped up, complete with little flashing red lights that Frank figured were alerting Leo to leaks or cracks in the hall. Where the masts should have been were two massive, blinking exclamation points. "We can still sail like this, but we're not going anywhere fast. Which is a problem since we need to make it to Athens in, what is it now?"

"Thirteen days," Piper said as she, Annabeth, and Percy joined the rest of the crew at the helm. "Today's July nineteenth."

"Okay, well, if we want to make it to Athens in thirteen days, we need to fix the ship." Leo twitched his Wii controller and the holograph of the _Argo II_ was replaced by a map of Greece. "And we can't fly, so we're going to have to find a town with a port."

Frank studied the map. A dot showed the _Argo II_, about twenty miles off the coast. The nearest town was a place called Preveza. Frank pointed to it. "How about there? It's close."

Leo examined the map. "That works. Set course for Preveza!"

"Um, you're the navigator," Hazel pointed out.

"Just checking to see if you were paying attention," Leo said with a grin. Frank started to roll his eyes, but just then another dot on the map caught his eye.

Pylos.

Frank's stomach clenched. He could hear the voice again.

"I await you in Pylos."

But it was at least a hundred miles down the coast, way too far for what they needed right now, which was a quick pit-stop to fix the ship. However, it was on their way to Athens. An idea started to form in the back of his head, but Frank decided to wait to mention it. First things first, they needed to stop in Preveza, hopefully without any mishaps. Right, because _that_ usually happened.

"We should be there in a couple hours," Leo was saying. "Unless, Percy, maybe you can help speed us along?"

Percy looked worn out from the fight with the sea serpent and summoning the waves to get them away from it, but he said, "I can try." After a second, though, his knees buckled and he would have hit the deck if Annabeth and Jason hadn't caught him. His face was green, but Frank was pretty sure the son of Poseidon didn't get seasick. "Sorry, guys. I don't think—I can't manage it right now."

"It's fine," Piper said quickly. "You already helped get us away from the sea serpent and kept the waves from sinking the ship."

"Yeah," Frank added. "That's probably enough for one day."

Annabeth shot them both a grateful look. "Come on, Seaweed Brain," she said, sliding an arm around his waist, "let's get you downstairs. Jason, can you give me a hand?"

"Sure," Jason said. The three of them made their way below decks. A few seconds later, as a particularly large wave rocked the ship, Hazel turned the same green as Percy and excused herself to run back to her cabin. Frank's heart twisted. He wished he could help her, but there wasn't anything he could do against motion sickness. Healing wasn't a gift of Mars.

"Looks like we've got guard duty," Piper said, leaning against the railing. "So what all do we need when we get to Preveza, Repair Boy?"

"Watch it, Beauty Queen," Leo said as he fiddled with the controls and brought the diagram of the _Argo II_ back up again. Frank didn't understand every aspect of the diagram, but he was pretty sure that many flashing red lights were typically a bad sign. "The main thing is wood for the masts. And I could use some more Celestial bronze to repair the hull. Hopefully Percy'll be better in a bit, 'cause no one else can repair those cracks on the outside." He looked at Frank. "Unless you can turn into an octopus or something?"

"Never tried." Frank didn't think Leo was making fun of him, and even if he was, if Frank could turn into an octopus, they could get the repairs done sooner and he could propose his Pylos idea. So he concentrated hard, trying to picture the octopi he had seen swimming along the bottom of the tank at the aquarium in Atlanta, before that experience turned into a disaster.

_Don't think about koi_, he told himself fiercely.

An instant later, Frank was sitting on the deck, but he felt different, more _wiggly_. Also, his arms seemed to be missing. But as he twisted, Frank realized they had just relocated down to his hips, which were no longer actually there. He had become a pink blob with eight long, tentacled legs. He felt fairly pleased with himself. He wasn't always able to turn into animals he wasn't really familiar with (like when he'd unsuccessfully tried to become a rhino in Venice), but so far, sea creatures seemed to come easily. He wondered if that was because of his family's Poseidon ancestry.

After a few seconds, though, Frank noticed he was having trouble breathing.

_Oh no_, he thought. Octopi were ocean animals; they could be on land for about as long as humans could hold their breath under water. And Frank had never been really great at holding his breath. He started to panic, but considering Piper and Leo didn't look too concerned, his panic must not have shown on his octopus face.

_Just relax_, he told himself. _You are _not_ going to die as an octopus. That would be totally humiliating._ He forced himself to focus on becoming human again.

A moment later, he was back to himself. He took a deep breath of the salty sea air.

"Man, that's awesome," Leo said, grinning at him. "You can use four hammers at once!"

"Why not eight?" Frank asked, glad that they didn't seem to realize he had just been panicking. It was embarrassing to forget something as basic as "ocean creatures can't breathe out of the water."

"Because the other four legs are going to be holding the nails," Leo said.

"Oh, right."

"That almost sounds like it should be a joke," Piper said. "But there's no punchline."

"How about this? Knock knock," Leo said. When neither of them answered, he wiggled his eyebrows. "Oh come on, it'll be funny. Knock knock?"

Piper rolled her eyes. "Who's there?"

"Octopus.

"Octopus who?"  
"BAM!" Leo yelled and both Piper and Frank jumped. "You just got octo-punched!"

Frank groaned as Leo grinned maniacally and Piper just shook her head. "That was terrible," Frank said.

"Never open the door to an octopus," Leo replied. A small light on the control panel lit up and started blinking frantically, making a whistling noise. The grin slid off Leo's face. "Uh-oh."

"What now?" Piper asked, leaning over his shoulder to look at the alarm.

"Um, minor leak may have just turned major," Leo said. He glanced at Frank. "So, theoretically, if I gave you a hammer and some bronze—?"

Frank sighed. "Just let me get in the water first this time."


	2. Chapter 2: Percy

*****Okay, so I was going to wait until next week to post this second chapter, but I got impatient, so here it is! Chapter Three will be up next week, by Wed. 3/19, and will feature Piper's POV. And, as always, all the good stuff belongs to Rick Riordan.*****

**II. PERCY**

Percy's dream started off pretty good. He was back in New Rome, as the crew members of the _Argo II_ approached Reyna. He had stepped out to get a better look and then froze when he saw _her_. With the sunlight in her blonde hair, Annabeth looked even more beautiful than he remembered. Her eyes met his and he grinned. Then, like he was being drawn by an irresistible force, he was moving toward her, she was in his arms, he kissed her, and nothing else in the world mattered.

Then, she judo-flipped him.

The stupid thing was that even as his back slammed against the ground and all the air whooshed out of his lungs, all Percy could think, giddily, was, _That's my girl_. Frankly, he would have been more surprised if she _hadn't_ tried to cause him bodily harm. When she pressed her arm against his throat and threatened him, he couldn't help but laugh because it was so awesomely familiar. He watched the anger, worry, and annoyance drain out of her eyes as he said, "I missed you, too," and when she helped him back to his feet, he knew life was good. They were together.

The dream shifted and once again Percy was falling through the darkness, falling and falling, wondering if they would ever hit the bottom, if there was even a bottom to hit, and what would happen then. His science class at Goode High School had done an egg-drop last fall (before Hera kidnapped him). They'd made cages out of straws and masking tape, the goal being to make a contraption that would keep the egg from breaking. Then, they'd dropped them from a third story window. Nate Jones had been the only kid who'd managed to make something that kept his egg from breaking. Everyone else's eggs, including Percy's, had splattered on impact, yolk and shells covering the sidewalk. Tumbling through the darkness, Percy wished he'd paid more attention to what Nate Jones had done to keep his egg from exploding on the pavement; he could have used a few tips right now.

He pulled Annabeth closer because if he was going to break like an egg, well, he'd rather die holding her. In his dream, just like in real life, she pressed her lips against his ear and whispered, "I love you." A shiver went down his spine as he felt her breath brush his skin. He wanted to answer her, but he was afraid that if he opened his mouth he might do something really embarrassing, like scream. Then another voice broke into his dream.

"How sweet."

The dream shifted again and suddenly Percy was alone. He blinked, his eyes trying to adjust to the bright daylight after the darkness of the pit. After a moment, his vision cleared and he realized he was standing on another cliff, looking out over a city, the wind whipping around him. He turned and his stomach dropped. He recognized this place. Annabeth had shown him pictures of it a thousand times. The Parthenon. He was in Athens.

There was a soft laugh beside him and Percy jumped. He reached for Riptide, but the pen wasn't in his pocket. Panic swelled up in his throat and he stumbled back as Gaea loomed above him, as large as Tartarus had been when he'd assumed a human form. Dirt crumbled in landslides off her sides and he had to dodge falling rocks as she stepped forward, earthen skirts swirling around her.

"Welcome, Percy Jackson," she murmured. Her eyes were still closed, but that didn't seem to matter. He could feel the power and menace rolling off her in dusty waves. "How do you like the place I have designated for my scene of triumph? There are ancient stones in plenty. All I need is the blood of Olympus to spill upon them. Blood you are so kindly delivering straight to me."

Percy felt naked without his sword in his hand, but he managed to find his voice. "I'm not delivering anything to you. We're coming to stop you."

Gaea laughed, a slow, deep roll, like the heartbeat of the earth. "You cannot stop me, my sweet pawn. You, better than anyone, should know this. After all, you met my husband, Tartarus, did you not? You could not stop him, and you will not stop me."

Percy's legs were shaking, but he forced himself to look straight up into Gaea's half-asleep face. "You're wrong. We'll find a way."

Gaea gave another sleepy laugh. "Such bravado. But you're a fool, Percy Jackson. Your quest has been doomed from the beginning. The son of Hephaestus is fated to die in Preveza, while your other friends, the son of Mars and the daughter of Pluto, will meet their fate in Pylos. There is a chance you, too, might meet your end there. Which would leave Jason Grace and Piper McLean to be my sacrifices. I could do worse. And then there's Annabeth Chase. I have a special punishment in mind for her."

"No one is going to die, no one is going to be your sacrifice, and no one is going to be punished," Percy spat, his hands clenched into fists. "I won't let you hurt my friends."

"Are you going to protect them, Percy Jackson?" Gaea murmured. "As you protected my failure of a son, Damasen, and his Titan friend Iapetus? Bob, I believe you called him."

It was as if an iron fist had slammed into his chest. Suddenly, Percy couldn't breathe. For an instant, he was back at the Doors of Death, watching Damasen and his drakon leading Tartarus away while Bob and Small Bob, the saber-tooth kitten, prepared to fend off a horde of monsters so that Percy and Annabeth could escape back to the mortal world. He couldn't speak.

Gaea laughed again. "You will fail to save those you love, Percy Jackson. Just as you did before." A wave of dirt rushed over him, choking him, drowning him in the earth, and Percy woke up, gasping for air.

For a few moments, he was completely disoriented, breathing heavily like he'd just run a marathon. When he saw the Minotaur horn hanging on the wall above his desk, for just a moment he thought he was back in his cabin at Camp Half-Blood. Then he looked around again and realized he was in his bed on the _Argo II_. The Minotaur horn was on his wall because Annabeth had hung it up before the ship left for Camp Jupiter, to make his cabin feel more homey, she said. Nice to have a considerate girlfriend. But thinking of Annabeth reminded Percy of his dream, and Gaea saying she had a special punishment for her, which wasn't good news.

Percy didn't enjoy feeling like a failure. He hated that he hadn't been able to save Bob, Damasen, and Small Bob in Tartarus. This afternoon, he'd almost passed out when Leo asked him to speed up the ship, something he shouldn't have had a problem with. Reminding himself that he had managed to keep the sea serpent from sinking the ship by controlling the waves didn't make him feel that much better. The experience had left him so drained, Annabeth and Jason had to half-carry him back to his cabin so he could take a nap. He didn't want to only succeed sometimes; he wanted to be able to help his friends every time.

"Stupid fatal flaw," he muttered to the ceiling of his cabin. Fortunately, the ceiling didn't respond. Someone else did, though.

"First sign of insanity, talking to yourself," Jason's voice said from the doorway.

Percy sat up on his bed and looked at his friend. "I've heard you're only in trouble if you answer," Percy said.

"That's comforting," Jason replied. "We're almost to Preveza. Everybody's meeting on deck in ten minutes to figure out what the plan is."

"Okay, cool." Percy swung his legs over the side of his bed and stood up.

Jason hesitated, then added, "Annabeth's door is shut, I thought maybe you'd rather—."

"On it." Percy moved to head into the hallway, but Jason stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

"And don't beat yourself up, man," he said. "You can't be the hero every time. That's why we're a team."

"Yeah, I guess," Percy said. He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, looking at Jason. "But it still sucks, feeling like you can't cut it. I hate other people having to take risks."

"Dude, I just spent a fight with Khione as a freeze-dried throw rug while Leo got blasted into the sky and Piper had to fight the Boreads alone," Jason said. "Believe me, I know the feeling. But it worked out. Piper was the hero on that one. We can't all do everything all the time. We're only human." Percy raised his eyebrows and Jason quickly corrected himself. "Okay, I guess we're not, technically, but you know what I mean."

Percy grinned. "Yeah, I see your point. We're a team. We get to take turns pulling each other's _podex_ out of the fire."

Jason laughed. "Something like that." He clapped Percy on the shoulder, then turned to walk down the hallway. "See you on deck in ten."

Percy crossed the hall to Annabeth's door, the only one that was shut. Judging from the sounds, everyone else was either on deck or in the mess hall. He knocked, but there was no response. Maybe she was asleep? He tried the doorknob: it was unlocked. Hoping he wasn't about to be attacked, Percy opened the door.

Annabeth was sitting on her bed staring morosely at the wall above her desk, apparently lost in thought.

"Knock, knock?" he said as he stepped inside.

She jumped and turned to look at him. "Oh, it's you."

Percy raised his eyebrows. "Good to see you, too."

Annabeth shook her head. "Sorry, I didn't mean it to come out like that. I just wasn't expecting you, or anybody." She shook her head again, like she was trying to shake her thoughts out, then focused on him. "What's up?"

"Meeting on deck in ten minutes so we can figure out a Prevailing plan."

"Preveza," Annabeth corrected with a small smile.

"Yeah, that." Percy moved farther into the room. The smile had already faded from Annabeth's face. "You okay?"

She looked at the wall above her desk again, but as far as Percy could tell, there was nothing there. "Actually, I was just trying to decide exactly how much of an ungrateful brat I am."

Whatever he had expected her to say, it wasn't that. "Um, I think I'm going to need some more information," he said, sitting down on the bed next to her.

"This is going to sound horrible," Annabeth said, still looking at the wall. "I know I should just be grateful that we're alive, especially after everything that happened at the Doors, with B-Bob and Damasen. And I am. What they did, it's too—I mean, gods, in comparison, this is so _stupid_, but—."

"What?" Percy asked.

"I miss Daedalus's laptop. And my knife," Annabeth said miserably. She finally looked away from the wall and met his eyes. "There. Now tell me how much of an ungrateful brat I am."

Percy didn't answer for a moment. Annabeth looked like she expected him to get angry, but Percy didn't blame her. He remembered the feeling from his dream, when he'd reached for Riptide and the sword wasn't there. True, it didn't compare to his actual friends, but still, the sword had been with him through a lot and he'd miss it. "Maybe about one percent."

Annabeth looked shocked, then she gave a shaky laugh. "I was thinking one _hundred_ percent."

Percy shrugged. "The laptop was pretty sweet. And you had that knife since you were seven. I'd be upset if I lost Riptide. Besides," he added, "I know how you felt about Bob and Damasen."

Annabeth smiled. "You always manage to surprise me, Seaweed Brain."

Percy tried to smile back, but his stomach twisted at her words. _Not always in a good way_, he thought. He took a deep breath. "That reminds me. I think I owe you an apology."

"For what?"

"For, you know, what happened with, um, Akhyls." Percy felt Annabeth stiffen beside him and he kept his eyes on the blanket. "I lost control. And after everything we'd been through, it felt, well, _good_ to punish someone. I'm not proud of that," he added hastily, "but it won't happen again. When I realized you were afraid of _me_—," he stopped to take a breath. "I never want to give you a reason to look at me like that again."

For a second, there was silence. Then, he felt Annabeth's fingers brush his cheek. Percy forced himself to look at her. Her expression wasn't afraid or judgmental, just thoughtful. Her hand was still resting against his cheek.

"You know," she said, dropping her hand from his cheek to his neck and sending butterflies shooting into his stomach, "I'm so used to you being your normal sweet, funny, loyal, occasionally annoying, self that I forget sometimes that you're dangerous."

"What? I'm not—," Percy started to say, but Annabeth raised her eyebrows and he stopped. She had a point. He remembered when he and Thalia had their fight next to the creek at Camp Half-Blood, after losing Capture-the-Flag a couple years ago. Chiron, their teacher, had pleaded with them both to stop, but it was only now, looking back on it, that Percy realized how afraid the centaur must have been, knowing that if they didn't listen, there wasn't much he could do to stop them.

"It's not necessarily a bad thing," Annabeth said. Percy was slightly distracted by her thumb tracing slow circles on his skin, but he wasn't complaining. "Everyone on this ship is dangerous. Jason can summon lightning. Frank can turn into deadly animals. Leo's fire skills, Hazel's ability to control precious metals and the Mist, Piper's charmspeak. They could cause a lot of havoc. But they don't. _You_ don't," Annabeth said. "Because you're all decent human beings. What happened with Akhyls scared me because that's not you, Percy. You don't hurt people just because you can."

"But I wanted to hurt her," Percy admitted. "It was like something broke inside me."

Annabeth looked concerned. She was so close he could smell the lemon scent of her shampoo. "Tartarus brings out the worst in everyone," she said, "if they let it. But you didn't. You did the right thing in the end. You let Akhyls go."

"Yeah," Percy said, feeling a little better. "I guess so."

Annabeth's fingers brushed the back of his neck, sending jolts like electricity down his spine. "So, are we good?" she asked him.

"Definitely," he said.

Annabeth smiled. She leaned forward and kissed him and Percy forgot about Akhyls and Tartarus and possibly his own name.

Too soon, Annabeth pulled away. "Aren't we supposed to be up on deck or something?"

"Oh, yeah," Percy said, his brain still a little fuzzy. "Yeah, I think there's a meeting."

* * *

"What took you two so long?" Leo asked as Percy and Annabeth joined the rest of the crew at the helm. "Wait, on second thought, I don't want to know."

"Oh shut up," Annabeth said and Leo grinned. "Now, what are we trying to decide?"

"Basically, who's going ashore in Preveza," Piper said.

"Easy decision," Leo said, holding up four fingers. "Hazel to find Celestial bronze, Jason to fly our supplies back, Piper to convince someone to give us a deal," Piper started to protest, but Leo held up his hands, "only if it's necessary, yeah, I know. And me, because I'm the only one who knows what we need from the hardware store."

Percy's stomach dropped as he remembered his dream of Gaea, saying Leo would die in Preveza. "Um, actually, guys, maybe Preveza isn't the best place to stop."

His friends looked confused until he quickly explained his dream, then their expressions changed to a mixture of worry and anger.

"So I guess this would be a bad time to mention that while we were in the House of Hades, one of my ancestors told me to go to Pylos," Frank said.

"Considering Gaea wants to kill you, Hazel, and me there, it might not be the best side trip," Percy pointed out.

"But the fact that she told you going there is a bad idea means we almost have to go," Hazel said.

"Come again?" Leo said.

"If Gaea is trying to scare us away from a place, it means there's something there that might help us," Hazel said. "It might be worth the risk."

"I agree," Annabeth said. She didn't look shaken by Gaea's threat of a "special punishment" for her. Instead, her face was set in an expression of grim determination that Percy knew well. "But it can't hurt to take precautions. For instance, Leo should probably stay on the ship until we leave Preveza."

Leo shook his head. "No way." There was a steely note in his voice that Percy hadn't heard from Leo before. "I won't hide from Queen Dirt Face while someone else goes and gets killed in my place."

"Leo, it's not like—," Jason started to say, but Leo held up a hand.

"I appreciate the thought, but I'm not staying on the ship. Besides," he added, "do any of you organic life forms even know where to find polyvinyl acetate in the grocery store?" He grinned at their blank looks. "Exactly."

Piper rolled her eyes. "Fine. But as for Pylos—."

"We'll deal with Pylos when we get there," Percy said hastily. Like Leo, he had no intention of putting someone else in danger while he stayed behind, but there was no point in starting an argument about it now. He ignored the look Annabeth was giving him and said, "So what are Frank, Annabeth, and I supposed to be doing while you guys are getting supplies?"

"Great question," Leo said. He pressed a few buttons on the Archimedes spear, which projected a 3D diagram of the _Argo II_. "In my absence, Annabeth will be supreme commander of the _Argo II_. Which means, she'll be directing you two on how to fix these leaks with the supplies that we have, so that the ship doesn't sink while we're gone."

"Is that a possibility?" Hazel asked, looking alarmed.

"Not if the leaks get fixed," Leo said.

* * *

The sun was setting when Jason, Leo, Piper, and Hazel set out. Following Annabeth's instructions, Percy and Frank the Octopus worked on mending cracks in the hull of the ship and realigning the oars. The good news was that Percy could communicate underwater with Frank while he was in his sea creature form. The bad news was that once the sun went down, neither of them could see what they were doing. It was ridiculously frustrating. Percy could sense the depth of the water, the way the currents were flowing, the exact longitude and latitude of the _Argo_ _II_, but without light, he was completely incapable of hammering in a nail. When he missed the hull of the ship entirely and smacked Frank in the head with the hammer, they decided to give it up, though not before Frank threw out some curse words that would have made even Hazel's foul-mouthed horse Arion blush.

"Sorry, man," Percy said sheepishly when they were back on deck and Frank was human again.

"It's fine," Frank said, rubbing the rising knot on his head. "But next time, _you_ can hold the nails."

"Deal."

"Well, we shouldn't sink, at least," Annabeth said, looking at the diagram of the ship. "Maybe Leo can pull some high-powered flashlights out of that toolbelt of his when they get back with the supplies."

But when the others came back, they were empty-handed.

"All the stores were closed," Piper said glumly.

"We'll have to try again tomorrow," Jason said.

"On the plus side, I always like to put off certain death until tomorrow," Leo said.

As Percy jumped back into the water, now with high-powered, waterproof, LED flashlights clutched in four of Frank's octopus arms, he wished it were that easy, that he and his friends could just keep putting off dying until tomorrow. But Gaea was rising and Percy had a sinking feeling that time was already running out.


	3. Chapter 3: Piper

*****Thanks to WiseGirl1993 for your reviews, glad you're enjoying the story! And thanks to everyone who is following this story! Here's chapter three, hope you like it! Chapter Four, from Annabeth's POV, will be up by Friday 3/21. Also, disclaimer, I am not Rick Riordan, so none of this belongs to me.*****

**III. PIPER**

Looking at her dagger before bed had been a huge mistake. For the last week, it had been showing Piper a series of increasingly disturbing images. She only got it out tonight because she was hoping to learn something useful, particularly after Percy's dream of Gaea saying he, Frank, Hazel, and Leo were all destined to die before they even reached Athens. Piper didn't really want to use her knife, but if she could learn information that might keep her friends alive, it was worth being frightened by what she saw.

Unfortunately, Katoptris was less than helpful. As Piper sat on her bed, the knife balanced against her knees, the first thing she saw in it was Leo facing down a hulking figure, not quite as big as a giant, but still massive. Leo was weaponless; he didn't even seem to have his toolbelt. But before she could dwell on that image, it changed to show a woman kneeling beside a stream, her back to Piper. There was a quick flash of what looked like a scorpion, but Piper didn't know if it was related to the image of the woman, or something else. Then, a series of images flashed across the knife: Reyna and Coach Hedge battling gryphons, while Nico sat slumped against the Athena Parthenos; Percy, Frank, and Hazel being swept down a hill by a wash of murky water (enough with the images of people drowning, Piper thought); a woman who looked vaguely familiar standing on the deck of the _Argo II_ and holding out an olive branch; a giant laughing as he stood over two figures huddled in a metal cage; and finally, Octavian, getting kicked in the shins by a Kerkopes, one of the wild dwarves Leo had unleashed on the Romans to slow down their assault on Camp Half-Blood. The last image made her smile, but the others worried her, particularly the one of the giant, who she thought was probably Porphyrion, laughing and standing over a cage. The image had been too fuzzy for her to make out who was in it, but she guessed it was intended for two of the demigods aboard the _Argo II_, so that they could be used as sacrifices to wake Gaea. The thought made her sick.

Piper sheathed the stupid dagger and flopped back on her bed. She should have been exhausted. After yesterday's so-called adventure in the House of Hades and today's super fun fight with the sea serpent, not to mention their failed trip into Preveza, Piper ought to have collapsed on her bed and been dead to the world for at least a few hours. And her body _was _tired, but her mind wouldn't shut down. Her nerves were buzzing like she'd ingested too much caffeine. She kept replaying images in her head: the monster army pouring out of the tunnels, Jason giving up his rank of praetor, Frank leading the dead army into battle, following the dead through the dark to help Hazel and Leo, the giant Clytius, and, most importantly, seeing Percy and Annabeth again.

Piper had to admit that the relief of seeing them alive had temporarily overwhelmed her. She hadn't been able to hold back the tears as she hugged Annabeth. While Piper had never given up hope that her friends would make it through Tartarus alive, it had seemed like a long shot. But they had survived, somehow. And now, having sent Nico and Coach Hedge with Reyna and the Athena Parthenos, it was just the seven of them, off to fight the giants in Athens. Piper remembered their previous fights with the giants, which had meant nothing since they were now reborn, and shuddered. She thought of the visions she had seen in Katoptris and gave up on sleep entirely.

Flinging back her covers, Piper stood up and stretched. It was after midnight and the ship was mostly quiet, except for the creaking and groaning as it rocked from side to side in what felt like yet another _venti_ attack. Piper was getting tired of those. A few weeks ago, she would have rushed on deck to help, but now she simply stepped into the corridor and listened. She could hear Jason and Leo on deck, yelling in defiance, and she figured the situation was under control. This was why they took turns on watch; so that the entire crew wasn't rushing above decks for every random monster attack. Instead, Piper made her rounds.

It had become a habit over the last few weeks. On the nights when she couldn't sleep, which were frequent, and she wasn't on guard duty, she would walk around the ship, checking to make sure that the people she loved were safe (at least, as safe as they could be on a giant warship constantly under attack). It was how she had found out Leo often slept in the engine room and Nico slept in sick bay, though she hadn't told either one she knew; where they slept was their business. She had just been glad to discover that both of them occasionally did sleep. After the skolopendra attack in the Atlantic and losing Percy and Annabeth in Rome, Leo had been pushing himself to the breaking point. He seemed a little more relaxed now that they had their friends back, but something was obviously still up with him. Piper had some suspicions about where Khione had sent him and who he had met there. She'd seen the blood drain from his face in Malta when Frank mentioned Calypso, but if Leo wasn't ready to talk about it, she wasn't going to force him.

As for Nico, Piper suspected she was the only one who knew he slept in sick bay. They had offered him Percy's cabin, but for whatever reason, Nico adamantly refused to stay there. The first time Piper stumbled across him asleep, he had been curled up on top of the covers, fully clothed, hugging a pillow like a stuffed animal and muttering in his sleep. She couldn't make out the words, but the sight of him made her heart twist. With his dark hair covering his face and his knees pulled up almost to his chest, he looked like a little kid. He was shivering. Piper had grabbed an extra blanket from the other bed and gently draped it across him.

Now, standing outside her own door, she wondered where Nico, Reyna, and Coach Hedge were now. The image in Katoptris had shown them fighting gryphons, but she hadn't been able to make out any details of where they were. She just hoped they could make it safely back to Camp Half-Blood and stop the war between the camps.

The rocking of the ship was becoming less violent, which hopefully meant that the boys were taking care of the _venti_. If they'd needed help, they would have sounded the alarm. She could still hear them yelling, punctuated by an occasional roar from Festus, so she knew they were alright. In the cabin next to hers, she could hear Hazel retching. Piper wished there was something she could do for her friend, but she knew from experience that Hazel preferred to be left alone while she was dealing with her motion sickness.

For the first time in weeks, Percy and Annabeth's doors were shut, which made Piper happy. They were back; against all odds, they were alive. Piper could hear Percy's snores through his door, which made her smile. She figured the guy deserved the rest. There were no sounds from Annabeth's room, but Piper hoped that meant her friend was sound asleep.

She moved off down the hall, passing Jason's door, which was open since he was on deck. She paused outside Frank's room and heard snuffling snores that weren't quite human, leading her to believe that Frank often slept in some animal form. Across from Frank's room, Coach Hedge's cabin door was open. Piper poked her head in. The coach's room was a pig-sty (or was it a goat-sty?), a jumbled assortment of weapons and sports equipment, but it made Piper miss the satyr already, though she would never admit it. However, she was grateful to be able to walk around the ship after curfew without having to worry about being smacked with a baseball bat.

Suddenly, from the mess hall, Piper heard a noise. She stiffened, listening. There it was again. It almost sounded like—a sob. Piper's heart dropped.

She crept to the door of the mess hall and looked in. Annabeth was sitting at the table, looking at the video feed from Camp Half-Blood. Because of the time difference, it was still evening there. The summer sun was just beginning to set over Long Island Sound, tinting the sea and the cabins with an orange light reminiscent of the campers' t-shirts. The camp should have been settling down for the night, but instead, campers were rushing around, gathering weapons, drilling in formation, and checking supplies. Most wore armor. Some, clearly on patrol, paced back and forth along the hills and beach, weapons drawn. None of that surprised Piper; it was what the video feed had been showing for days as the Roman legion got closer. What did surprise her were the tears streaming down Annabeth's cheeks.

"Annabeth?" Piper said softly as she stepped into the mess hall. "Are you okay?"

As soon as she said it, Piper realized what a stupid question that was. Her friend had just been through Tartarus and now she was watching the home she had lived at since she was seven prepare to be attacked. Of course she wasn't okay.

"Do you want me to get Percy?" Piper asked.

Annabeth shook her head and swiped her hand across her cheek. "No, I don't want to wake him up. He's earned some sleep."

"So have you," Piper said gently. She sat down across from Annabeth.

"I tried. Nightmares."

"Oh." Piper studied her friend. Annabeth's cheeks were a little sunken and her t-shirt hung more loosely on her than before, but overall, she looked in pretty good shape for someone who had just been through hell, literally. The biggest relief, to Piper anyway, was that Annabeth's eyes were the same. There was some darkness, some sadness, that hadn't been there before, but neither Annabeth's nor Percy's eyes had the fractured look of Nico's. She figured it was probably because they had each other, while Nico had been forced to travel alone. "How about some hot chocolate?"

Annabeth managed a weak smile. "That sounds amazing, actually."

"Coming right up," Piper said.

Annabeth continued to watch the walls as Piper made two cups of hot chocolate. "It makes it worse," she said, "seeing it and knowing we won't be going back anytime soon."

"I know," Piper said as she handed Annabeth a mug and sat back down with her own. "I almost wish Leo had just left the walls blank."

Annabeth nodded absent-mindedly and sipped her hot chocolate. "I hope it works. The statue, I mean. If it can heal the gods' split-personality problems—."

"Then maybe we can get some godly back-up in Athens," Piper finished. "Which would be helpful."

"Definitely," Annabeth said. "We have to defeat the giants before they can wake up Gaea. Because once she's awake, even the Olympians won't be able to stop her."

The way she said it, with such certainty, sent a chill down Piper's spine. "How do you know?"

"Because," Annabeth hesitated, as if trying to decide how much to say. She locked eyes with Piper. "Because we met Tartarus himself at the Doors of Death and even a Titan and a giant together were no match for him. If Gaea is even half as powerful when she awakes, we won't stand a chance."

Piper listened as Annabeth told her about the giant Damasen and the Titan Bob, formerly Iapetus, who had helped Percy and Annabeth cross Tartarus and then sacrificed their lives to allow the two demigods to escape. When she finished, Piper didn't even know what to say. She just put a hand on her friend's arm as Annabeth brushed away tears.

"That was my nightmare," Annabeth said finally. She took a shaky breath. "It's like my dreams are stuck on a loop. I just keep replaying that scene in my head, over and over again, seeing Bob and D-Damasen as the Doors shut, trying to think of a new strategy, something that we could have done differently, but—."

"But there was nothing we could do."

Piper and Annabeth both jumped. Piper turned to see Percy leaning against the doorway. She had no idea how long he had been standing there; she'd been so absorbed in Annabeth's story, she hadn't heard him walk in. His arms were crossed and he looked exhausted.

"Sorry, wasn't trying to startle you. I heard voices, so," he shrugged. "Didn't mean to eavesdrop."

"It's fine," Annabeth said. "Nightmares?"

"Yeah." Percy ran his hand through his hair and Piper noticed his fingers trembling. "Guess we should have expected that."

Piper recognized the expression on Percy's face because it was one she'd often seen on Jason's. He was trying to maintain the illusion of the confident leader, while inside he was freaked out. She guessed that he was doing this more for her benefit than Annabeth's. Judging from the way Annabeth was studying her boyfriend's face and frowning slightly, Piper figured she had guessed right. Time to go.

She patted Annabeth's arm as she stood up. "We're going to defeat the giants and put Gaea back to sleep. We'll find a way." She put just a touch of charmspeak into her words and both of her friends' shoulders relaxed a fraction. She squeezed Percy's arm as she passed him. "Try to get some sleep, you guys."

Feeling drained, as if Annabeth's story had sucked the energy out of her, Piper made her way back down the hall. The ship was now rocking gently with the waves. She paused at the door of her cabin, listening for noises from on deck. She heard Leo's voice and Jason's laugh, so she knew they were safe.

_For now_.

Piper wasn't sure whether she actually heard the voice, or if it was only in her head, but it sounded like Gaea, taunting her again. She tried to push from her mind the thought that Leo was fated to die in Preveza.

"I will never let you hurt my friends," Piper whispered to the demented earth goddess.

She thought she heard a laugh, as low as the rumble of an earthquake, but she couldn't be sure.

Shaking, but determined to try and get some sleep, Piper shut her door, curled up under the covers, and counted pegasi until she fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 4: Annabeth

**IV. ANNABETH**

As Piper's cabin door closed, Percy came into the mess hall and sat down next to Annabeth. She looked up as he took her hand. His sea-green eyes were as gorgeous as ever and that made her feel better. She hadn't told Piper the worst part of her dream, which had been seeing Percy shrouded in the corpse-like Death Mist again, but with his eyes hollow and empty. She had sat straight up in bed, choking back a scream. Too afraid to close her eyes again, she had come to the mess hall, where Piper, and now Percy, had found her.

"Did you get any sleep?" he asked.

"Maybe an hour or two," Annabeth said. "I was hoping I was exhausted enough that I wouldn't have any dreams, like last night, but no such luck."

Percy studied her face, his eyebrows scrunched together. Annabeth flashed back to the balcony of the Plaza Hotel, after she'd been stabbed, when he'd looked so adorably worried about her. If she hadn't been half-delirious with pain at the time, she probably would have kissed him then and there. Now, just because she could, she leaned forward and kissed him. "It's just the second night. I'm sure it'll get better."

"Yeah, maybe." Percy frowned, but then his eyes lit up. She recognized his "I've just had an idea" expression, which instantly made her wary.

"What are you thinking, Seaweed Brain?"

"Just trust me." He stood up and pulled her to her feet, then led her along the passageway, past the cabins. As they descended the steps to the lowest level of the ship, she thought maybe Percy was taking her to sick bay to try and find sleeping pills. However, he walked right by that door.

"Percy, where are we going?"

He squeezed her hand, but didn't answer.

They passed the engine, chugging away, and the storage rooms, then Percy pushed open the doors to the stables. He let go of her hand, picked up a blanket, spread it across the glass doors, and sat down. "This is your favorite spot on the ship, right?"

Annabeth didn't trust herself to speak. She just nodded and sat down beside him. Percy put an arm around her and she leaned her head against his shoulder. "I love you," she said.

Percy kissed her forehead. "Love you, too."

Annabeth's heart leapt. It was the first time he'd actually told her he loved her. Not that he needed to say it. His actions, especially over the last few weeks, had made it very clear how he felt. Still, it was nice to hear.

"So, would you have brought me down here if Coach Hedge was still on the ship?" she asked him.

Percy shuddered. "Gods no, we'd end up with bells tied around our necks."

Annabeth laughed. "Plus, he's got that baseball bat."

"Yeah." Percy was quiet for a moment. "I hope they're okay, though. Reyna and Nico and Hedge."

"Me too," Annabeth said. "If they can get the statue back, stop the war with the camps, and heal the gods' split-personality problems, we might actually be able to defeat Gaea."

"That's a big 'if'," Percy muttered.

"If anybody can do all that, it's Reyna," Annabeth said confidently. "She'll find a way."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Percy said. He gave her his sarcastic, annoyingly endearing, grin. "You usually are."

"Don't forget it, Seaweed Brain."

"Never," Percy said seriously. He kissed her and, for a few moments, Annabeth forgot about the war.

When she finally pulled away, she asked, "Can we stay down here? Just for a little while?"

"As long as you want," Percy said. He kissed her again, lightly.

"Good," Annabeth said.

She snuggled closer to him and Percy wrapped his other arm around her. True, they were still in danger and the worst battle lay ahead of them. There was no guarantee of what might happen when they reached Athens. But at this moment, back in the mortal world, surrounded by their friends, with Percy's arms around her, Annabeth allowed herself to relax. She could hear Percy's heart beating. Not the doomsday BOOM of Tartarus's heart, but a steady, comforting _thump_. Between his heartbeat, the humming of the engines, and the gentle rocking of the ship, Annabeth's eyelids were getting heavy. Exhaustion was overtaking her fear of nightmares and she gave in, letting it pull her under into a deep, mercifully dreamless, sleep.

The next thing she knew, sunlight was streaming through the glass doors. She lifted her head from Percy's chest, which she had been using as a pillow, and turned toward the sound of a groan from the doorway of the stables.

Frank Zhang was standing there, his face bright red. "Oh, come on," he said. "Not _again_."

* * *

The others didn't tease them too much, for which Annabeth was grateful. She was also glad that Coach Hedge had gone with Reyna and Nico; otherwise, the satyr might have tried to institute his "bells tied around the necks of you cupcakes" policy.

Everyone else was on deck by the time Annabeth had showered, dressed, and grabbed some breakfast. Piper was going through her backpack, checking supplies. Jason was standing near her, squinting at the sky as if he were checking the direction of the wind, while Percy was making a stack of their remaining Celestial bronze. Frank and Hazel were standing near the railing, discussing something in low voices.

Annabeth knew Frank wanted to go ashore with Hazel, but they needed him here. The plan was for him and Percy to continue to repair the ship with the supplies they had until the others came back with the rest. But she could understand why he wasn't happy about it. She kept thinking about Percy's dream of Gaea saying that Leo would die in Preveza and Percy, Frank, and Hazel would die in Pylos. She knew Percy wouldn't stay on the ship any more than Leo would, but if he was in danger, she wanted to be there to help. She imagined Frank was probably feeling the same way now because Hazel was going with Leo and whatever was supposed to kill him would likely put the rest of the group in danger, too. Frank's expression resembled a grumpy bulldog as he and Hazel joined the rest of the crew.

"Are we ready to go?" Hazel asked.

Leo was making checkmarks on a list. "Just need to double-check…," he scanned the list, "Yep, got it. All set, people. Let's roll."

Piper bit her lip. "Leo, are you sure you shouldn't—?"

Leo held up a hand. "Save your breath, Beauty Queen. I'm not staying on the ship."

"It'll be fine," Jason said. "We're just going to get what we need and come back. Nobody's going to get hurt."

Judging from Piper's expression, she wasn't convinced, but she didn't say anything.

"We'll be back in a couple of hours," Hazel said, giving Frank a quick kiss, which made him look slightly less grumpy.

"Just be careful," Frank said.

When the others had gone, Annabeth turned to Percy and Frank. "Alright, let's get to work."

The repairs weren't difficult. They mostly involved hammering new pieces of Celestial Bronze on top of ones that had been cracked when the sea serpent attacked. It was time consuming work, though, which meant that Annabeth spent most of her day leaning against the railing, looking across the marina at Preveza, and answering the boys' questions when one of them would occasionally pop up (usually Percy, since Frank was once again in octopus mode). The city was pretty, full of white stone buildings with red tiled roofs. People were strolling along the waterfront, enjoying the nice weather. It was a gorgeous, sunny day; the sky was bright blue. The water in the harbor was so clear that if she looked down, she could see Percy and Frank the Octopus swimming around the hull of the _Argo II_.

The sun was hot against her back and Annabeth was debating jumping over the side for a quick swim, when both boys resurfaced.

"Well, that's it," Percy said. "We're out of bronze."

Frank had turned back to human. "The major cracks are fixed, though. At least we won't sink."

"Always a good thing," Annabeth said as she dropped the rope ladder over the side.

"Are the others back yet?" Frank asked as he climbed over the railing.

Annabeth shook her head. "Not yet. But if they had to go to several stores, and find wood for the masts, it could take them a few hours." She smiled and patted Frank's arm. "I'm sure they're fine."

Frank nodded, but his eyes swept across the city, searching for their friends.

"I forgot about the masts," Percy said, as he climbed back up onto the deck. Frank was drenched, but Percy was completely dry, a talent Annabeth was always a little jealous of. "How the heck are we supposed to fix those?"

"We had to replace them a couple times while you guys were, you know, gone," Frank said. "Usually they're just trees, with the branches cut off."

"Classy," Percy said.

"Oh, most definitely," a woman's voice said.

Annabeth nearly jumped out of her skin. She, Percy, and Frank whirled, weapons in hand, to face the woman who had suddenly appeared on the deck. She was standing near the stump of the main mast, looking as if the sight hurt her feelings. The woman was dressed in a flowing Greek gown the golden color of wheat. Her dark hair was piled on top of her head, with a few stalks of wheat sticking out like they were being used as hair pins. Her face was familiar, not only from Mount Olympus, but because the demigods of Cabin 4 at Camp Half-Blood shared their mother's sharp nose and arched eyebrows.

"Demeter," Annabeth said.

The goddess nodded, still studying the stump of the mast as if it had offended her. "Not enough fiber," she announced grimly. "Although why some horrible creature would destroy such a beautiful thing, I have no idea. Oak, wasn't it?" She looked sharply at Frank, who looked baffled.

"I, um, have no idea," he said.

Demeter shook her head. "No one has any appreciation of dendrology anymore."

"Den what?" Percy asked.

"Dendrology," Annabeth said. "It's the study of trees. From the Ancient Greek 'dendron', meaning tree, and 'logia', meaning study of."

Demeter looked delighted. "Are you a student of dendrology, my dear?"

"Actually, I'm an architect," Annabeth said. "Demeter, we've met before. I designed your new garden on Mount Olympus, remember?"

"Oh, yes, yes, yes," the goddess said, waving her hand dismissively. "Lovely place, very well-cultivated."

"Um, thanks?"

"You're welcome." The goddess had gone back to studying the mast stump. "Pine, I think," she said decisively.

Instantly, a giant pine tree sprang out of the stump. Annabeth, Percy, and Frank hit the deck to avoid being knocked overboard by the branches.

"Oh, that's much better," Demeter said.

A sixty-foot tall pine tree now loomed over the deck. The air smelled like Christmas.

"It's a great tree," Annabeth said carefully as she got back to her feet, ducking to avoid a low-hanging branch. She didn't want to offend the goddess (they tended to turn demigods into small animals when they got mad), but there was a problem. "The branches will create a lot of wind resistance, though. We won't be able to go very fast." Not to mention they were taking up most of the deck space.

Demeter sighed. "True. And I suppose you do need to get to Athens quickly." She clapped her hands and the branches disappeared, leaving a perfectly formed mast in the middle of the deck. A second later, the forward mast repaired itself as well, though without becoming a pine tree first.

"Thank you," Annabeth said. "You just saved us hours of work."

"Oh, don't thank me," Demeter said. "I've probably just helped to speed you to your deaths."

"Fantastic," Percy muttered.

"But I also have some advice for you," the goddess added, smiling as if she hadn't just told them they were going to die. "There is an object that may be able to help you in your fight against the giants and the earth goddess."

"Great," Annabeth said. "Where is it?"

"I have no idea. You'll have to find it, of course," Demeter said, as if this were the most obvious thing in the world.

Annabeth fought down the impulse to roll her eyes. _Goddesses_, she thought. "Can you at least tell us what type of object we're looking for?"

"No, I'm afraid not," Demeter said, now admiring the pine mast. "That's part of the mystery, isn't it? You have to seek out the object, the knowledge, yourself, otherwise it won't have any meaning. Like your quest for that statue, my dear."

Annabeth wanted to strangle the goddess. "Can you give us any kind of clue about what we're looking for?"

"Of course!" Demeter looked offended. "I've already given you one."

"Can we get a second clue?" Percy asked.

"It's a part of the _mystery_," Demeter said as if she were explaining that two plus two equals four. "My mysteries, my sacred festival. I would imagine that if you go to the place where the ceremonies were held, you would find something that could aid your quest. Of course," she said, tilting her head as if she were considering the matter, "you'd have to pick up the key. Otherwise, you'll never be able to get in."

Percy pressed his fingers against his temples like he was getting a headache. "Where can we find the key?"

"I have no idea," Demeter said. "It's been lost for centuries."

Percy opened his mouth but Annabeth grabbed his arm before he could say something that would get him turned into a pine tree. "Do you know where we can start looking?" she asked.

"That young man knows." Demeter gestured to Frank, who looked perplexed.

"I do?"

"Oh yes, son of Ares," Demeter said, nodding.

"Mars, actually," Frank corrected. "And are you _sure_ I know where to look? Because I don't think I know anything about where to find a key."

The goddess rolled her eyes. "Pylos, obviously. Didn't your ancestor Periclymenus tell you to meet him there?"  
Frank looked like he'd been struck by lightning. "P-Periclymenus? _He's_ the one who's going to meet me in Pylos?"

"Obviously," Demeter said, rolling her eyes again and looking very much like her daughter, Annabeth's friend Katie Gardiner.

"I think I'm getting a migraine," Percy muttered.

"Just to be clear," Frank said, ticking off points on his fingers, "we need to go to Pylos to meet my shape-changing ancestor Periclymenus, who is going to tell us where to find a key, that will let us get into some place where your festival was held, where we _might_ find a tool that will help us defeat Gaea and the giants."

Demeter nodded, looking very pleased with herself. "Exactly."

"I am definitely getting a migraine," Percy said.

Annabeth wanted to scream. The Olympians had given them cryptic advice before, but this was ridiculous. "Is there anything else?"

"No, the son of Ares summed everything up quite nicely," Demeter said.

"Mars," Frank said under his breath.

"And I have one last gift for you." Demeter held out her arms and a dozen baskets overflowing with bread appeared on the deck. There was rye bread, pumpernickel, sourdough, baguettes, croissants, even, for some reason, Wonder Bread. "You could all use more fiber. Enjoy!" And the goddess disappeared in a swirling dust cloud of grain, leaving the three demigods coughing, surrounded by bread baskets.

"That might be the least helpful advice I've ever gotten from an Olympian," Percy said. "And that's including the time Apollo gave me dating tips."

"At least she fixed the masts," Annabeth said.

"How the heck are we supposed to figure out what her sacred festival is, though?" Frank asked.

As it turned out, that was the easy part. A quick Google search on the ship's computer pointed them straight to the Eleusinian Mysteries. "Held in Eleusis, Greece," Annabeth read, "the sacred festival to Demeter involved secret rites that initiates must pass through, in order to be purified to receive the sacred mysteries of the goddess." She looked at the boys. "Wow, that sounds fun."

"And how in Hades is this supposed to help us defeat Gaea?" Percy asked.

Annabeth shook her head. "I have no idea."

"You sound like Demeter," Percy said.

She smacked his arm. "Watch it, Seaweed Brain."

"We'll just have to start in Pylos," Frank said. "Hopefully, Periclymenus will be able to help us."

Annabeth pulled up a map of Greece. "Pylos isn't far. We should be able to get there by tomorrow, as long as we can finish the repairs tonight."

"Speaking of which," Percy said, still rubbing his arm where Annabeth had smacked him, "it's getting kind of late. Shouldn't the others be back by now?"

Annabeth looked around. The sun was starting to sink toward the Ionian Sea. Her stomach dropped. "It shouldn't have taken them this long."

Frank looked pale. "I'm going to turn into an eagle, see if I can spot them."

Percy nodded. "Come get us if you see anything."

Frank took off, spiraling up into the darkening sky until Annabeth lost sight of him. She looked at Percy, who was scanning the Preveza waterfront for familiar faces. His jaw was clenched. She knew he was thinking of what Gaea had said, about Leo dying in Preveza, about Jason and Piper being captured and used as sacrifices. She slipped her hand into his. "They're probably fine," she said.

Percy squeezed her hand, but he didn't say anything. They stayed at the railing, looking out at the city, as the sun slowly set behind them.

* * *

*****Chapter Five, featuring Hazel's POV, will be up by Tuesday, March 25. Have a great weekend!*****


	5. Chapter 5: Hazel

*****Hi all, here's chapter five. Quick note: Leo's dialogue about Nicopolis is taken directly from the Margarona Royal Hotel website: * .gr/about-area*. Also, I am not Rick Riordan, so none of this belongs to me.*****

**V. HAZEL**

The trip started out well. Preveza was much smaller than Rome or Venice and there weren't nearly as many tourists, which was nice. It was a beautiful, sunny summer day, a great day to walk around a seaside Greek town. Hazel wished Frank could have come with them, but she had fun walking through Preveza with Piper, Jason, and Leo, ducking into shops and checking things off Leo's list of supplies. By lunchtime, they had everything on the list except wood for the masts and Celestial bronze. They decided to stop for a bite to eat and discuss their options.

"Have you gotten any bronze hits on your precious metal radar?" Leo asked as they waited for their food.

Hazel shook her head. "Nothing. There's plenty of gold and silver, some precious stones, all about fifteen feet below street-level, but no Celestial bronze."

Leo whistled. "So if we were on a treasure hunt, you're saying we'd be in good shape?"

"But we're not," Piper pointed out. "We're in _Greece_, there has to be some Celestial bronze around here somewhere."

Hazel frowned, thinking about it. "You're right, there should be. Everywhere else we've gone in the ancient lands, I've been able to sense some. It's not always a lot, but there's usually a piece of Celestial bronze or a weapon somewhere nearby. But not here. There's nothing."

Jason started to say something, but stopped as the waitress brought their food. He waited until she'd left, then said, "Could someone have taken it? Maybe Gaea moved it all so we wouldn't be able to use it."

"She never has before, though," Hazel said.

"But we've never needed it before," Leo said, "not since we got into the Mediterranean."

They were quiet as they ate their lunch. Hazel was focusing on the layers of earth beneath her. There was something strange about it. "It's like it's supposed to be there," she said slowly.

The others looked at her. "The bronze?" Leo asked.

Hazel nodded. "That's why the ground feels strange here. It's like I can feel the holes where the Celestial bronze is supposed to be. But it's not there. It's like someone—like someone collected it."

"Gaea doesn't want us to repair the ship." Piper put her sandwich down. "She's trying to prevent us from getting to Athens."

"I don't think so," Hazel said. Her certainty was growing the longer she sat there. "If Gaea had moved it because she didn't want us to repair the ship, she would have done it yesterday. But the bronze has been gone longer than that, maybe months. The traces are very faint."

Jason looked impressed. "How can you tell all that?"  
Hazel shrugged. "Same way you can control the winds and Leo can pick two thousand year old locks. Just a talent, I guess."

Piper raised her eyebrows at Leo. "You can pick two thousand year old locks?"

Leo grinned and wiggled his fingers. "I've got the magic touch."

Piper rolled her eyes at Hazel, who bit back a smile.

"Who would want all that bronze, though?" Jason asked, still focused on the main problem. He seemed more relaxed, more at ease, since he'd handed the role of praetor over to Frank, but Hazel figured taking the lead had simply become a habit. "What would they do with it?"

"Build something with it," Leo suggested. "Melt it down and make weapons or armor. Put it in a pool and go swimming in it, Scrooge McDuck-style. There's a lot of options, man."

"But I should be able to sense it," Hazel insisted. "Something that big should be obvious."

"Unless—unless it's just too far away," Piper said thoughtfully. She stopped a passing waiter. Giving him a dazzling smile, she asked, "Are there any Greek ruins around Preveza?"

The waiter swallowed. "There's Nicopolis. About eight kilometers north."

"Thank you," Piper said, still smiling sweetly.

"Uh-huh," the waiter said. He turned away and promptly ran into a table. Hazel giggled.

Jason raised his eyebrows. "Should I be jealous?"

"Of what?" Piper asked. Her eyes widened. "Oh gods, did I just use charmspeak on him?"

Leo laughed. "You didn't even realize you were doing it?"

"No," Piper moaned, putting her face in her hands. "I usually know, now, when I'm doing it, but I wasn't paying attention. I got used to using it in all those stores, I didn't even think about it."

"Yeah, I liked that 'Olympian discount,'" Leo said.

"Anyway," Piper said, clearly eager to change the subject, "it sounds like maybe we should check out this Nicopolis. Let's face it, only a mythological something-or-other would collect up all the Celestial bronze in the area. And based on our past experiences, they all seem to like to hang out at sites that had some ancient significance."

"So what's important about this Nicopolis site?" Hazel asked. As she said it, she felt a twinge of worry for her brother, Nico, wherever he was right now.

"Well, it was 'built in the 1st century by the Roman Emperor Octavian August after his triumph at the Aktion naval battle against Marc Antony and Cleopatra'," Leo said.

Hazel, Jason, and Piper stared at him. Then, Hazel remembered the Pantheon, in Rome. "Is there a Spanish tour guide around?" she asked.

Leo grinned. "You caught me. It's on the placemats."

"Okay, well, I say we check out this Nicopolis," Piper said. "We don't have a better lead, and we need the bronze, right?"

Leo nodded. "Right. But, um, eight kilometers is about five miles. I don't know about you all, but a hike in ninety degree weather isn't my first idea of fun."

"I could fly out there," Jason offererd, "but I can't take all three of you at once."

"There's another option," Hazel said. "But first, maybe we should get somewhere more open."

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, they were speeding to Nicopolis. Hazel and Leo were riding on Arion, while Jason and Piper were next to them on Jason's storm spirit horse, Tempest. Hazel wished Nicopolis was a hundred miles away; when she was riding, she felt powerful, fearless, unstoppable. But with Arion's speed, five miles flew by like nothing. Within minutes, they had arrived at the ruins.

"Whoa." A wave of dizziness hit Hazel and she would have fallen off Arion if Leo hadn't caught her. "There's Celestial bronze here, alright. Tons of it. Literally."

Leo frowned at the stone ruins of the massive amphitheater in front of them. "Underground?"

"No," Hazel slid off Arion. He nuzzled her cheek and whickered nervously. "It's above ground." She felt suddenly cold as a memory of the sorceress Pasiphae in the House of Hades came back to her. "But there's some serious Mist cover-up going on here."

Hazel examined the ruins in front of them as Leo slid down from Arion and Jason and Piper jumped off of Tempest. A giant stone amphitheater was set into the hillside, its crumbling tiers of seats ringing a performance space. Hazel imagined coming here in ancient times, to watch a play or take in a political debate. She figured whoever was on that stage must have had to work hard to compete with the view behind them. From the amphitheater, the countryside stretched out in rolling green hills and farmland, until it ended in the blue of the bay near Preveza. Hazel wished she could just relax and enjoy the view, but her skin was tingling from the amount of Celestial bronze and magic in the air.

"Hazel says there's a ton of Celestial bronze around here," Leo told Jason and Piper.

"Tons," Hazel corrected. "About four and half tons, just on the other side of the hill. But we need to be careful. There's some seriously strong Mist here."

Piper shivered. "Do you feel that? The temperature's about twenty degrees colder than it was a minute ago."

Hazel felt it. She knew it was probably an illusion, but the air was growing steadily colder, causing goosebumps to rise on her arms.

"Is it Khione?" Leo asked. "'Cause I swear, if she tries to blast me into the sky again—."

"It's the Mist," Hazel said, trying to keep her voice calm, even as her heart was starting to race. "The cold is just an illusion."

"A really good illusion," Jason muttered. He put an arm around Piper, to keep her warm, and Hazel felt a pang, wishing Frank was here.

Leo's hand ignited into flames. The warmth washed over Hazel, chasing away the numbing cold. "Pays to have the fire guy around," he said. "So, the bronze is on the other side of the hill?"

Hazel nodded. She looked around for Arion, to tell him they'd be back soon, but the horse was already grazing two fields away. Tempest had disappeared. Hazel turned back to face the ruins. "Let's go."

It didn't take them long to climb the stone tiers to the top of the amphitheater, sticking close to Leo and his still-burning hand.

"Wow," Jason said, when they reached the top.

"Double wow," Leo said. He let the flames on his hand die.

Hazel had to agree, the view from up here was even better. She could see the countryside rolling away from them for miles in every direction, varying shades of green and brown, occasionally spotted with houses and farm equipment. But her focus, at the moment, was on the bronze door that had just appeared in front of them. Hazel was certain it hadn't been there when they'd climbed up. The door itself didn't bother her. The dozen Cyclopes with twelve-foot long spears guarding the door, however, bothered her a lot. Especially when they lowered their spears and pointed them directly at Hazel and her friends.

Piper held up her hands, clearly trying for the smile she had given the waiter. "Put down your weapons. We just want to talk."

One of the Cyclopes grunted. "The boss man will want to talk with you, too."

Quicker than Hazel would have believed possible, four Cyclopes darted forward. Hazel never even had a chance to draw her _spatha_. The last thing she remembered was the _crack_ as the butt of a spear hit her head, then everything went black.

* * *

*****Uh-oh, that's not good! Don't worry, Chapter Six, featuring Jason's POV and what happens next, will be up by Friday, March 28.*** **


	6. Chapter 6: Jason

*****Thanks for the reviews and follows, everyone! Here is Chapter 6, with the second half of what happened to the group in Preveza. Next up, Chapter 7, which features Leo's POV, plus a little Leo/Percy discussion about Calypso; should be fun. Chapter 7 will be up by Monday, March 31.*****

**VI. JASON**

Jason was starting to worry about brain damage. Seriously, he was getting really tired of being knocked on the head. His mood didn't improve when he returned to consciousness surrounded by a dozen of the largest, hairiest, most heavily-armed Cyclopes he had ever seen. Cyclopes who apparently liked to bathe in manure, judging by the stench coming off them. He heard a groan next to him and looked over to see Leo sit up, blinking. "Where are we?" Leo asked.

Jason sat up straight. "And where are the girls?"

"Over here," Piper's voice said, from his left. Jason looked over to see her and Hazel about ten feet away. Both of them were sporting bruises from getting hit over the head, but otherwise they looked okay. Relief washed over him. At least his friends were alive. For now, anyway. Their weapons were gone, though. The Cyclopes must have searched them while they were unconscious. The only things they had left were Leo's toolbelt and Piper's cornucopia.

Jason looked around, only now taking in his surroundings. He and Leo were sitting with their backs against the wall of a massive arena. For a moment, Jason thought the blow to his head had affected his vision, because everything seemed to be some strange golden color. But he blinked a couple of times and realized, no, the whole place was actually glowing bronze. _Glowing bronze_. It looked like they'd discovered where all the Celestial bronze in Preveza had ended up.

He focused on the spear-wielding Cyclopes again. They were having what appeared to be a pretty heated discussion over by a doorway that led into a tunnel, like the kind a football team would come out of in a stadium. Not far from the tunnel entrance, Jason could see his, Piper's, and Hazel's swords lying in the dirt. Before Jason had a chance to confer with any of his friends and try to come up with a plan, the Cyclopes broke apart. They stood suddenly at attention, six on each side of the tunnel, their spears pointed straight up.

A dark shape filled the tunnel. At first, Jason thought a boulder was rolling towards them, but then he realized it was actually a giant. The giant was so large his bulk filled the twelve-foot-high tunnel as he stepped into the arena.

When the giant straightened to his full height and surveyed them, Jason's only consolation was that this wasn't one of _the _giants, the sons of Gaea who had been working so hard to kill the crew of the _Argo II_. This giant was smaller, only about ten feet tall, and looked more human, no dragon legs. Instead, the giant was covered in muscles like a body-builder; he looked like the type of guy who would eat a dozen raw eggs for breakfast. His face could have been carved from a boulder, the features completely chiseled and set hard as stone. He was bald and on his head the image of a hammer had been tattooed. Jason recognized that symbol.

Beside him, Leo gulped. "Please tell me that guy doesn't have Cabin Nine's symbol tattooed on his head."

Jason's mouth tasted like bile. "This day just keeps getting better and better."

"SILENCE!" the giant roared and Jason and Leo both jumped. The giant turned to the Cyclopes. "Bring the prisoners forward."

"What do you think?" Leo asked as the Cyclopes approached. "Should we light them up?"

Jason debated it for a moment, then shook his head. "There's too many of them. Let's see what he wants and go from there."

"From the looks of it, I think he wants to grind our bones to make his bread," Leo muttered, but he refrained from burning the guards as they hauled Jason and Leo to their feet.

The Cyclopes dragged the four demigods to stand in front of the giant, turning them so that Jason and Leo were across from Piper and Hazel. Jason found himself facing Piper, who gave him a tiny, reassuring smile. Next to her, Hazel's eyes were flickering around the Celestial bronze arena. Jason wondered if she could use any of that metal against their captors, but there was no way to ask her.

The Cyclopes stepped back, standing guard behind their captives, as the giant walked between them. He surveyed the demigods like they were cattle at an auction and he was trying to decide which of them was most worth his money. The feeling made Jason's skin crawl.

After a second pass, the giant returned to his starting point. He stood with his hands clasped behind him and nodded approvingly. "Welcome, demigods, to the Arena of Hephaestus!"

Leo winced.

"What?" Piper asked.

"An excellent question," the giant said, nodding again. "It has been many years since I, the greatest son of Hephaestus, have sought competitors for my arena. But the Earth Mother has brought me back. Gaea knows that I am her greatest asset. For I am Cercyon, Bandit of Eleusis!"

"Um, aren't we in Preveza?" Leo asked.

Cercyon glared at him. "In ancient times, my arena was near Eleusis. My guards would capture travelers on the road and then, we would wrestle—to the death."

Jason looked at Cercyon's bulging arm muscles and decided he really didn't want a headlock from this guy.

"But now," Cercyon continued, "that area is guarded by another servant of the Earth Mother, so I was sent here. I have rebuilt my arena from the finest Celestial bronze and now I seek my first competitor." He leered at the demigods as he flexed his muscles. Jason wanted to think this guy was just bragging, but he guessed that if Cerycon felt like it, he could crush Jason and his friends without even breaking a sweat. Jason was starting to sweat, though, trying to come up with a plan to get all four of them out of this alive.

Cercyon was still eyeing the demigods, apparently trying to decide who he wanted to fight first. He shook his head at Piper and Hazel. "I will not fight a female."

"What, you're afraid of being beat by a girl?" Piper asked.

Cercyon grinned, displaying chipped, yellow teeth. "Such spirit. I like a little fire. But no, Piper McLean, I am not afraid of being beaten by a female demigod."

Piper looked taken aback. "How do you know my name?"  
"The bounties from Gaea, of course. She gives so many interesting facts about each of you. Of course, I didn't read them all, who has time for that? But I remember your names. And while I'm sure either you or Hazel Levesque would pose quite a challenge, it would be beneath me to fight a female."

"You're just scared because you know we'd win," Hazel said. "Coward."

There was a hard glint in Cercyon's eyes that was far more terrifying than his muscles as he looked at Hazel. Jason wasn't sure what the giant planned to do next, but he decided he'd better intervene. "I'll fight you, Cercyon," he volunteered.

Cercyon bellowed with laughter, which was not exactly the reaction Jason had expected. "A son of the elder gods? Do I look like an idiot to you, boy? It was Theseus, a son of Poseidon, who killed me long ago. No, I have no interest in wrestling the sky god's spawn." He looked from Jason to Leo. "But a fellow son of Hephaestus? That would be a most interesting challenge."

Jason glanced at Leo. He knew straight up fighting wasn't his friend's style. Leo looked pale, but his jaw was set, his eyes on Cercyon. Jason ran some strategies in his head, but none of them ended well. Even if he could call some lightning, combined with Leo's fire, Piper's cornucopia, and anything Hazel could do with the bronze around them, they were still weaponless and outnumbered three to one. And Cercyon had just drawn a knife from his belt.

The giant kept his eyes locked on Jason as he laid the blade against Piper's throat. "On your knees, son of Jupiter," he said softly.

"I thought you were a wrestler," Leo said through gritted teeth.

"I am," Cercyon replied. "The best wrestler in the world. But before we get to the match, I want to ensure that I'll have your full cooperation." He pressed the knife harder against Piper's throat. "Once more, son of Jupiter, get on your knees. Hands behind your head. I won't ask again."

Jason didn't have a choice. He knelt down and put his hands behind his head like he was being arrested. Cercyon smirked. "Very good. Now, as Leo Valdez pointed out, I am a wrestler. And it has been far too long since I have been able to test my strength."

* * *

The Cyclopes were beginning to get excited. "Gonna be a good fight, boss—Get 'em, boss—puny demigods ain't no match for you."

Cercyon had a smug, self-satisfied smirk on his face as he sheathed his knife, then signaled for the Cyclopes to march Piper and Hazel back to the side of the arena. A Cyclops yanked Jason to his feet and dragged him away before Jason had a chance to give Leo some words of encouragement, though, admittedly, he couldn't think of any.

"Let's make a deal, Cercyon," Leo said as he and the giant faced each other, alone in the middle of the arena. "If I win, you and your buddies over there have to let us go."

"And if I win?" Cercyon was still smirking, like the thought of losing was a joke to him. Which, Jason guessed, it probably was.

"Then I guess you get the honor of sending Leo Valdez to the Underworld." Leo tried for a winning smile. "But you still let my friends go."

Cercyon bent forward so he could look Leo in the eye. "How about if you put on a good show, I'll kill your friends quickly, rather than torture them?"

Leo swallowed. "But if I win, we go free. Swear on the Styx."

"I swear it on the Styx," Cercyon rumbled. He stood up straight and spread his arms. A cold wind rushed through the arena and suddenly the seats were filled with glowing purple Lares, ghosts of Romans who had once lived in Greece, when it was ruled by the empire. "And now, let the match begin!"

* * *

Jason's stomach twisted into knots as he watched Leo and Cercyon face each other in the center of the arena. Leo looked surprisingly calm, except for his fingers nervously tapping against his leg. There was a determined glint in his eyes, but all Jason could think about was Gaea telling Percy that Leo would die in Preveza. And Jason really didn't want that to happen. However, he was having trouble coming up with a contingency plan. He could summon lightning, but without his sword it was much harder to control the strike. He didn't want to accidentally hit any of his friends.

Jason glanced at Piper and Hazel, hoping one of them had thought of a plan. Piper's face was pale and her eyes were fixed on Leo. Hazel's eyes were still darting around the arena like she was calculating the amount of Celestial bronze in it. She caught Jason's eye and he thought she might have had a plan, but they had no way to communicate without the Cyclopes hearing them. For now, it looked like things rested on Leo's wrestling match with a partner three times his size.

"So are we going to do this thing or what?" Leo asked.

"First, the toolbelt, son of Hephaestus," Cercyon rumbled. "Take it off."

"What, this old thing?" Leo tried, and failed, to look innocent.

"It's just an empty tool belt, Cercyon," Piper said. Jason could feel the persuasive power of charmspeak in her voice.

Cercyon blinked, then gave a booming laugh. "That sorcery speak won't work on me, girl. My father is married to your mother. I learned long ago to ignore Aphrodite tricks." He turned back to Leo. "Lose the tool belt, brother."

Leo looked nauseated by the "brother" comment, but he took off his tool belt and tossed it to Hazel. "Keep an eye on that for me."

Cercyon cracked his knuckles. "Now, we wrestle!"

A Cyclops raised a massive Celestial bronze gong. There was a resounding BOOM around the arena as he hit it.

Cercyon immediately rushed toward Leo, who dove to the side. The giant turned and tried to grab him, but Leo had already rolled out of the way and was now behind the giant. Cercyon growled in frustration. They went on like this for a few minutes. Jason was impressed. Cercyon clearly relied on his bulging muscles to win his fights, but Leo was a lot lighter and quicker than the giant, so he was using that to his advantage to wear Cercyon out. And it seemed to be working. Cercyon was breathing hard, his face getting redder and redder, though Jason wasn't sure if that was from exhaustion or anger.

"Stand and face me, coward!" Cercyon growled as he tried to grab Leo, who dodged the giant's fist. Leo darted behind Cercyon again, who was turning in circles trying to spot him. Jason hoped he was getting nice and dizzy.

"Dude, I learned a long time ago not to get caught by guys who are bigger than me," Leo said. He ducked as Cercyon made a sloppy grab at him. "You would have fit in well in some of the foster homes I was in, though. Lot of other big, ugly guys who like to pick on people for you to hang out with."

Cercyon roared in rage and lunged at Leo. Leo rolled to the side at the last second and Cercyon bit the dirt, hard. Leo started to back away but, quick as a striking snake, Cercyon's hand whipped out and grabbed him by the ankle, yanking Leo off his feet.

"No!" Hazel cried.

Cercyon slowly stood back up, spitting dust. He was dangling Leo by one ankle. Leo was thrashing and kicking, but it didn't seem to bother the giant. "Now," Cercyon said through gritted teeth, "we finish this match my way."

Cercyon flipped Leo up in the air and caught him as he came down. For a second, Jason thought he was giving him a bear-hug, but then he realized the horrible truth: Cercyon was attempting to crush his opponent. And judging by the pained look on Leo's face, he was succeeding.

Piper gasped. Jason's heart was racing. _Last ditch effort_, he thought. "Hey, Cercyon! Are you fireproof?"

Cercyon scoffed. "That's a Cyclopes' trait. It is not a gift Hephaestus gives to his children."

"Wrong," Jason said. "It's a gift he gives to _some_ of his children." He met Leo's eyes and saw that he understood. He also saw that Leo hated his plan as much as Jason himself did. But it was the only way. "Now!"

Leo burst into flames and Cercyon screamed. The giant dropped Leo and backed away, still screaming, his entire body blazing. Jason ran to grab their weapons from the edge of the arena. The Cyclopes moved forward to recapture the demigods but Piper yelled, "Stop, drop, and roll!" and all twelve Cyclopes hit the dirt and obediently began to roll around.

The Lares were rising in the stands, cursing and yelling, but Hazel screamed and suddenly the stands began to shake. She fell to her knees just as the arena collapsed around them in a shower of Celestial bronze.

Jason didn't stop to think. He thrust the swords he was holding at Piper, scooped Hazel up, and ran for the tunnel, the only part of the arena still standing. Behind them, the Cyclopes were getting back to their feet, shouting and grabbing their spears. The tunnel around them was shaking, threatening to collapse at any second. He could hear Piper and Leo right behind him. Jason could see daylight ahead. He put on an extra burst of speed as the tunnel began to crumble around them, Cercyon's screams following them out into the afternoon sunlight.

* * *

"Jason, I'm fine. Put me down," Hazel said as they emerged at the foot of the ruined stone arena of Nicopolis. Jason set Hazel on her feet, then bent over, hands on his knees, gasping for breath. Leo dropped onto the lowest stone bench of the arena and buried his face in his hands. Piper swiped her hand across her face, whether to brush away tears or sweat Jason wasn't sure, then handed Jason back his _gladius_, gave Hazel her _spatha_, and drew her own jagged sword from the Boreads.

"Heads up," Piper said. "There might be some angry Cyclopes left."

Hazel shook her head. "I collapsed the tunnel on them as soon as we got out. They're monster dust by now."

"Nice one," Jason said, straightening up. "How'd you collapse the rest of the arena?"

"Underneath the seats the arena was hollow, except for its support beams." Hazel shrugged. "All I had to do was pull the beams toward me a little bit. Destabilized the whole thing."

Jason was impressed. "Again, nice one."

"Thanks." Hazel glanced in Leo's direction. Jason followed her gaze. Leo was still staring at the ground, his head in his hands. The three of them exchanged worried glances. Jason knew Leo had killed monsters before, but setting Cercyon on fire like that couldn't have been an easy thing to do.

Hazel walked over and put a hand on his shoulder. "Leo?"

Leo raised his head and she handed him back his tool belt. He managed a weak smile, though his face still looked pained, like when Cercyon was crushing him. "Thanks."

"Don't beat yourself up, man," Jason said. "You did what you had to do."

"You saved us," Piper added.

"Yeah." Leo stood up and put his tool belt back on. He tried for a "hey-I'm-Leo-and-this-doesn't-bother-me" smile, but Jason didn't buy it. "Come on, let's get that bronze and then get the heck out of Preveza."

By the time they had collected as much Celestial bronze as they could carry, the sun was beginning to set. Even better, Jason failed to summon Tempest and Arion didn't appear when Hazel whistled for him.

"They're both pretty free-spirited," she said reluctantly.

"Or something like that," Jason muttered.

Weighted down by Celestial bronze and the events of the day, the four of them began their trek back toward Preveza and the _Argo II_.

* * *

They had just reached the city when a bald eagle swooped down on them. Jason just had time to think, _Great, another attack_, before it turned into Frank Zhang.

"Thank the gods!" Frank said. He hugged Hazel so hard he lifted her off her feet and made her drop the bronze she was holding. "Oops, sorry."

"It's fine, Frank," Hazel said as he helped her collect the bronze.

"What took you guys so long?" Frank asked. "We were getting worried."

Jason glanced at Piper and Leo. "We took a little detour. Tell you about it on the ship. Where are Percy and Annabeth?"

"Back on the ship." Frank nodded in the direction of the port. "I just left to do some scouting because, well, like I said, we were getting worried." But from the way he looked sheepishly at Hazel, Jason guessed Frank might have been slightly more worried than the other two.

Hazel must have guessed this, too, because she stood on her tiptoes to kiss Frank's cheek. "Thanks for finding us."

With the help of Frank, part-time dragon, it only took one trip for him and Jason to fly the Celestial bronze back to the _Argo II_. Jason did a double-take when he saw the new masts.

"How'd you manage to fix those?" he asked, incredulous.

"Long story," Percy said. "Also, we've got some news for you guys."

"Good news?" Jason asked.

"It came from a goddess," Percy said. "What do you think?"

"Great," Jason muttered.


	7. Chapter 7: Leo

*****So, for the record, writing in Leo's voice is just plain fun. I hope you enjoy this chapter! It's kind-of short, but next up, in Chapter 8, we're back to Frank's POV, for good times with dead ancestors in Pylos-it'll be up by Friday, April 4. And, once again, I am not Rick Riordan, I just really like his books and wanted to play with the characters.*****

**VII. LEO**

Leo was tired of goddesses giving them ridiculous or impossible tasks. Just once, would it be so hard to give a straight answer? "Here's a bazooka. It's great for blowing up giants. Use it to win this war." Or, better yet, "Why don't you all take a vacation? There are some great beaches around here. We gods, with our awesome powers, will take care of killing these giants for you." But no, that would be too easy. All the demigods ever got were cryptic instructions about "a tool that might help you" in the "place where my festival was held." Nice and clear instructions, nothing cryptic about that at all. Oh yeah, and don't forget, first they had to track down Frank's long-lost grandfather or something.

At least the part about Demeter's festival had been easy to figure out. A quick Google search on the ship's computer made it clear that the major festival dedicated to Demeter was held in Eleusis, near Athens. They were called the Eleusinian Mysteries. Great, because Leo wasn't at all sick of mysteries. And Pylos, where Frank's ancestor was apparently meeting them, wasn't too far away, so hooray, more good news. On the negative side, Frank, Hazel, and Percy were all supposed to die in Pylos. _Of course_, Leo thought, _I was supposed to die in Preveza and that didn't work out so well for Queen Dirt Face_.

He shuddered, remembering Cercyon's screams when he'd set the giant on fire. Leo tried to remind himselt that the guy was about to squash him like a bug and then planned to torture and kill Jason, Piper, and Hazel, but it didn't help much. Leo was a mechanic. He liked building things, fixing things, not destroying them. Even though the guy was a monster and he knew he'd made the right choice, Leo still didn't feel _good_ about what he'd done.

"Fire is a tool," his mother had always said. Since December, when he, Piper, and Jason had crash-landed at Camp Half-Blood and Leo had learned he was a demigod, he'd gotten better at controlling his ability to summon fire and more used to using it. He'd even used it as a weapon occasionally, when he had to, but he preferred to use fire as a tool. "Even a weapon is, at its heart, just a tool," he imagined his mother would say.

"Well, then, I guess I'm one dangerous tool," Leo muttered to himself.

"Did you just call yourself a tool?"

Leo jumped. Percy was leaning against the railing a few feet away. Leo had no idea how long the guy had been standing there; he'd been so lost in his own thoughts, he'd forgotten that Percy was also on guard duty with him.

"Um, yeah," Leo said. "But not like a _tool_ tool, more like a hammer tool."

Percy raised an eyebrow. "Or a blowtorch?"

Leo winced. "Something like that."

Around them, the ship was quiet; it was just after midnight. The rest of the crew was asleep. The sea was calm and the sky was clear; Leo could actually see the Milky Way. It would have been peaceful if he weren't constantly on the alert for any sign of an attack.

"Wish I could relax," Percy said, echoing Leo's thoughts, "but when it's quiet like this, it just seems like the calm before the storm."

Leo nodded. "I keep waiting for Shrimpzilla or one of his ugly cousins to pop up on the sonar."

"That would seriously suck," Percy said.

"Agreed."

Silence fell between them. Leo checked the controls, mostly to look busy. Of all the people on the _Argo II_, Percy was the one Leo had spent the least amount of time with. Jason and Piper were Leo's best friends and he'd gone on several mini-quests with Frank and Hazel. And even though she still scared him, Leo had spent a decent amount of time with Annabeth, when she had helped with building the _Argo II_. But Percy was still a little bit of an enigma. Leo knew he was tight with Frank and Hazel after their "free Death in Alaska" quest, he'd been with Jason and Piper during the nymphs-and-giants and-Colisseum-battles-oh-my! fun in Rome, and, well, he'd jumped into Tartarus to be with Annabeth—'nough said. But Leo and Percy had never really had any one-on-one time. Leo guessed it didn't help that they'd gotten off to a rocky start when he'd blown up New Rome and all. Plus, Leo still felt guilty about the fortune cookie fiasco. He didn't think anybody but Hazel knew about it, but still. All things considered, now that it was just the two of them on guard duty, Leo wasn't exactly sure what to say to the guy. _Glad you didn't die in Tartarus_ didn't really seem appropriate.

"Glad you didn't die in Preveza, man," Percy said.

Or maybe it was.

"That makes two of us," Leo said. "Besides, 'avoiding death' is one of my favorite hobbies."

"Mine too." Percy grinned. "Plus, no one else actually knows how to work the ship, so we kind of need you."

"That's me, 'Indispensable Valdez,'" Leo said.

"Which reminds me, how the heck did the others get from Africa to Malta to find you if the ship was messed up from the bomb?" Percy asked. "I mean, I know Piper woke up Festus with charmspeak, which—."

"—makes absolutely no sense," Leo nodded.

"Your words, not mine, but yeah. But even with him working, didn't they say the engine was messed up? And that's got to be hundreds of miles to travel. How'd they make it in time?"

Leo grinned. "Apparently, it involved breaking wind."

"Excuse me?"

"Ask Jason about it," Leo said.

"Oh, I will." Percy's grin turned evil and Leo laughed.

But then Leo remembered how he'd ended up in Malta and the smile slid off his face. Percy must have had a similar thought, because he suddenly cleared his throat and looked away. That was when Leo knew.

"You know where I went."

"Lucky guess," Percy said. "I've been there, too."

"Yeah, I know," Leo said, his voice tight with anger. He pulled up a map of Greece, just so he wouldn't have to look at Percy. "And you left her there. You promised she would be free, but you never bothered to follow up."

Leo expected Percy to get angry, to yell, to say how it wasn't his fault, maybe even take a swing at him. He was completely unprepared for Percy to sag against the railing and say, "I know. I messed up."

Part of Leo felt that he should respond with, _Darn right, you messed up._ But the confused part of him won out and he ended up saying, "Huh?"

"Look, down in Tartarus, we—we ran into these _arai,_ the spirits of curses, and, well," Percy then told Leo about fighting the _arai_, which sounded like absolutely no fun, since if you killed one, they gave you a curse, and if you didn't kill them, they tried to rip your face off. And he told Leo about the special curse Annabeth had unleashed, from Calypso.

Leo was stunned. "I'm sure she didn't realize," he began, but he had no idea how to finish that sentence, so he let it drop. He wanted to protest that Calypso would never be that vindictive, but he remembered how furious she had been when he'd first landed on her island and the minor meltdown she'd had when she thought Reyna was his girlfriend. He hated to admit it, but he could imagine her, in a horrible mood, wishing that Annabeth would one day feel as abandoned by Percy as she herself did. But he was also equally certain that she never really intended for that wish to come true, and definitely not under the circumstances Percy had just described.

Percy held up his hand. "I don't blame Calypso. It's my fault. I should have followed up, made sure the gods kept their word."

"Yeah, you should have," Leo said, but there wasn't any venom in his words. He was just agreeing. His mouth felt dry, but he forced himself to say, "I promised I would come back for her. I swore on the Styx."

Percy studied him seriously for a long moment, then he nodded. "I'll help you, man. When we get back, we'll figure something out. She—she deserves to be happy."

"She does," Leo said.

They looked at each other, a brief, silent conversation, but Leo figured Percy got the gist.

"Alright then."

"Alright."

"So," Percy said, after a few moments of awkward silence, looking at the map of Greece that Leo still had pulled up over the controls, "how far to Pylos?"

Leo did some calculations. "A couple hours. We could get there faster, but there didn't seem to be much point in showing up before the sun comes up." He zoomed in on the map so they could see Pylos more clearly. It didn't look all that different from Preveza—a marina, red-tiled roofs, then countryside intersected with a couple highways. "Does Zhang have any idea _where_ in Pylos his ancestor is supposed to be?"

Percy shook his head. "I don't think so. I guess we'll just go ashore and see what we find."

"That should work out well," Leo said.

* * *

*****Again, thanks for reading! Next chapter, from Frank's POV about what happens in Pylos, will be up by Friday, April 4****th****!*****


	8. Chapter 8: Frank

*****Hi all! Thanks again to everyone who reviewed—to WiseGirl1993, don't worry, I have some (hopefully good) Percabeth moments planned for later in the story and to the Guest reviewer, there will be some Jason/Piper stuff, too—though in regards to the Labyrinth, I think it'll be really cool if RR works it into BoO, just not sure it'll fit into my story…we'll see : ) Anyway, here's Chapter 8, featuring Frank. Chapter 9, featuring Percy's POV (and some "fighting giants" action) will be up by Wednesday, April 9. Have a great weekend!*****

**VIII. FRANK**

Frank had messed up. He was the son of Mars, the war god, but he had no battle plan. Or any type of plan, really, as he, Hazel, Percy, and Annabeth went ashore in Pylos. Frank had been so focused on meeting his ancestor in Pylos, he had never thought much about _where_ the meeting would actually take place. Now, standing on the sidewalk under a palm tree and looking up at the tiers of white and pastel-colored houses in front of him, Frank realized that he had no idea what to do next.

"Where are we headed?" Percy asked.

Frank felt himself turning red. This was ridiculous; he was a praetor now, he was supposed to be in control, but he had to tell them the truth. "I'm not sure. I guess I was kind of hoping Periclymenus would just meet us."

The four of them looked around. It was still early morning; the sun was just rising over the hills. Across the street, several market stalls were being set up. At the end of the road, a bored-looking guy was lounging against a van printed with Greek letters, playing with his phone.

"Maybe we just have to find the right meeting place," Hazel said. "What do we know about Periclymenus? Besides that he was a shape-changer."

"He was the grandson of Poseidon," Frank said.

"So there's a good chance he's hanging out close to the water," Percy said.

"And he was an Argonaut," Annabeth said thoughtfully. "You know, one of the guys who sailed with the original Jason."

"Oh yeah," Frank said; he'd completely forgotten that fact. "Maybe—maybe there's a connection here."

"We could ask that guy," Percy said, pointing to the guy leaning against the van.

"Why?" Hazel asked.

Percy looked confused. "Because of his van."

"I don't know about you, but my mother told me not to talk to strangers with vans," Frank said.

Now Percy looked completely lost. "What? No—look at what it says on his van."

Frank looked at the van again. "It's in Greek."

"Well, yeah," Percy said blankly.

Annabeth nudged him with her elbow. "They're _Roman_, Seaweed Brain. Latin comes naturally to them, not Greek." She turned to Frank and Hazel. "It says 'Express Tours' on the side of the van."

Hazel caught on faster than Frank, who still didn't understand what that had to do with their problems. "So maybe he's a tour guide," she said.

Percy nodded. "He might know where some Ancient Greek-type stuff is around here."

"Worth a shot," Frank said.

He led the way over to the guy, who was still messing with his phone. As they approached, Frank heard him mutter, "Nine hundred emails. I've _got _to get a better spam filter."

_Oh good_, Frank thought, _he speaks English_. Which struck him as a little odd, since the company's name was only in Greek. But maybe the guy had picked up English from driving around American tourists or something like that. "Excuse me?"

The guy looked up. He had curly hair under his baseball cap and elfish features. There was something about his grin that made Frank a little uneasy, like maybe he should watch his valuables around this guy. "Looking for a tour?"

"Just some information," Annabeth said. "Do you know anything about Periclymenus, the—."

"—Argonaut, sure," the tour guy said. "The quest for the Golden Fleece and all that. Great story." He narrowed his eyes. "But why are you interested in him?"

"School project," Hazel said, smiling sweetly. "We're on a summer trip, studying mythology."

_That's one way to put it_, Frank thought. Hazel kept smiling innocently at the tour guide, who was still studying the four of them with narrowed eyes. Then, unsettlingly quickly, a grin popped back up on his face and he clapped his hands. "Awesome. I am all about mythology." He slipped his phone in his pocket. Frank noticed the case looked like it had snakes on it. "And if you're interested in the Argonauts, I know just the place you need to go. I'll even give you a ride."

* * *

The van looked spacious from the outside, but on the inside, it was crammed full of boxes.

"Sorry about the mess," the tour guide said cheerfully. "I do some deliveries on the side."

"_Some_?" Percy muttered as he climbed over a large box to get to an empty seat in the back.

Frank wished he could turn into something smaller, like maybe a squirrel, because it would be a lot more comfortable than sitting here with the corners of two different boxes poking into his back and Hazel squashed in next to him so tightly she was almost in his lap. However, he didn't want to alarm the driver. He wasn't sure how the Mist would cover up the fact that there were suddenly only three humans in the van, rather than the four he'd picked up.

Hazel pushed against one of the boxes, trying to move it over, but it didn't budge. "You must not give tours to very big groups."

"Nope," the guide said. "I'm pretty selective."

Alarm bells started going off in Frank's head. He glanced at Hazel and knew she was thinking the same thing. Something was definitely off about this guy. There was a good chance they had just walked into a trap.

The guide picked up a stack of boxes off the front passenger seat so that Annabeth could sit down. "Hold these for me, will you?" he asked her.

"Uh, sure," she replied. The guide dumped the boxes on her lap and Annabeth jumped. "There's something dripping from the bottom one!"

"Oh, yeah." The guide's slightly arched eyebrows drew together in concern. "Sorry about that. It's harmless stuff, though."

Annabeth looked disgusted, but she swallowed back whatever she had been going to say. "So, where are we going?"

"Voidokilia Beach," the guide said. He put the van in drive and took off so fast Frank was slammed against the seat. He winced as the boxes jabbed him in the back. "There's a place there called 'Nestor's Cave'. It's a little bit of a hike, but I think you'll find it's worth it. It's got a great view of the bay."

The name "Nestor" sounded vaguely familiar to Frank. "Is Nestor another Argonaut?"

The guide looked at him in the rearview mirror and grinned again. "Very good. Lot of history at that cave. Some say it's where Hermes hid Apollo's cattle. It's also supposedly where Nestor met with Telemachus, when Telemachus was searching for his father, Odysseus, after the Trojan War."

"But what does all that have to do with Periclymenus?" Hazel asked.

The guide shrugged. "It's related to the Argonauts. I thought that's what you were interested in?"

"We are," Frank said hurriedly. The cave might not be a good lead, but it was the best one they had. "How long does it take to get there?"

"Typically, about twenty-five minutes." The guide looked at Frank in the rearview mirror again and gave him that unsettling grin. "But I can usually make it in ten."

After that, Frank didn't get a chance to ask the guide any more questions because he was too busy inwardly cursing, praying to whichever god prevented car accidents, and holding on to Hazel's hand for dear life. When they finally screeched to a halt in the beach parking lot, Frank's knees were shaking. He let out the breath he didn't even realize he'd been holding as Hazel doubled over, pressing her face against her knees.

"That was horrible," she said.

Frank patted her back. "Yeah, it was."

Percy, Hazel, and Frank managed to work their way out of the back of the van and onto the pavement. Annabeth handed the guide the stack of boxes she had been holding. "What do we owe you for the ride?" Annabeth asked.

The driver waved his hand. "Don't worry about the money. But you'd be doing me a huge favor if you could make a quick delivery for me."

"Sure, we can probably do that," Frank said cautiously.

"Fantastic," the driver said. "Bottom box here, miss," he told Annabeth, balancing the rest of the stack in his hands so she could grab the bottom one. "You shouldn't have a problem figuring out where it goes. Just be careful with it. I have a feeling the person it belongs to may need it soon." With a final grin and a wave, the guide put his foot on the gas and shot out of the parking lot.

"That was weird," Percy said. "So who are we supposed to be delivering this box to?"

Annabeth looked at the label. The blood drained out of her face so fast Frank thought she was going to faint. "Oh my gods. Percy."

"What?" Percy must have had the same thought as Frank because he put an arm around Annabeth's waist like he thought she was going to fall. "Who does it go to?"

Annabeth was still staring at the label like she'd seen a ghost. "No, I mean, look at the label. Percy, it goes to you."

Percy read the label, then suddenly looked like he was trying to swallow a baseball. "There's no way. She destroyed it. She told me she destroyed it."

Frank craned his neck to read the address on the package. It said:

The Gods

Mount Olympus

600th Floor,

Empire State Building

New York, NY

With best wishes,

PERCY JACKSON

Over that was written, "Return to Sender." "Wait, Percy, _you_ sent this?"

"Yeah, when I was twelve. But my dad sent it back to me. He didn't want it, for some reason."

Hazel was still pale from the crazy van ride. It seemed to be the popular look at the moment. "You know what's in there?"

Percy nodded grimly. "It's Medusa's head."

* * *

The sand was hot, the water was clear, the sun was shining brightly in a cloudless blue sky. It was, Frank thought, a great day to be at the beach—unless, of course, you were hiking up a steep hill in search of your long-dead ancestor, and carrying around a severed head capable of turning people to stone.

Not that Frank had to carry Medusa's head, which he was guiltily glad about. Percy had taken charge of it, though he was holding the box gingerly like, well, like it contained something dead and disgusting.

"I still don't understand how Hermes found this, though," Percy said as they climbed up the hill. "My mom told me she destroyed it after she turned Smelly Gabe into a statue."

"He deserved it," Annabeth assured Hazel, who looked shocked.

They had decided it must have been the messenger god who had given them a ride. Hermes (or had he been Mercury?), god of travel, thieves, and, apparently, delivering long-lost packages that no one wanted.

"Did she tell you _how_ she destroyed it?" Frank asked.

Percy frowned. "No. No, I guess she wasn't really specific."

"She probably did believe she destroyed it," Annabeth said. "But monster parts that are spoils of war are really hard to get rid of. Hermes must have found it after your mom threw it away."

"And it sounds like he thinks we'll need it to turn someone to stone," Hazel said. "We'd better be on our guard."

"Periclymenus better have some really good information for us," Frank muttered as they reached the entrance of Nestor's Cave, set into the hillside.

After their various adventures in Rome and the House of Hades, Frank was expecting something impressive. But Nestor's Cave was just that—a cave. There were a few stalactites and stalagmites and a small pool at the back, but that was it. Frank felt let down. "I think Mercury gave us some bad advice."

"He's always been helpful before," Percy said, looking put out at the total lack of anything interesting in the cave. "There has to be something important here."

Hazel laid her hand against the stone wall of the cave, next to where some tourists had carved their names. "There's something here," she said. She tilted her head as if listening, then pointed toward the back of the cave. "The water. I think it's covering up a tunnel."

The four of them walked to the small pool near the back wall of the cave. Percy knelt down and dipped his hand in the water. He frowned.

"What is it?" Annabeth asked.

"There _is_ a tunnel here," Percy said slowly. "Actually, it's more like a well. It drops straight down, but I can't tell how far. And I can't control it," he added, looking a little nervous. "It's like something else, or someone else, has control of the water and their will is a whole lot stronger than mine." He glanced up at Frank. "What do you think, man? Your call."

Frank's palms were sweaty. If Percy couldn't control the water, that didn't seem like a good sign. He had never considered the idea that maybe Periclymenus wouldn't want to help them. Frank wondered, again, if they were walking into a trap. But Demeter had specifically said to come talk to Periclymenus, to get the information they needed to find the weapon that would hopefully help them defeat Gaea. If his ancestor was hiding at the bottom of this well, Frank needed to find him. "I think we've got to take the chance and go in," he said.

Percy looked resigned. "Yeah, you're probably right. So how are we going to do this?"

"Are your other water powers still working?" Frank asked.

Percy pulled his hand out of the water; it was completely dry. "Seem to be."

"Okay, then you and I will go down the well and see what we can find." He turned to Hazel and Annabeth. "You two, um, I guess stay here and keep watch."

"And how are we supposed to contact you if something happens? Or vice versa?" Hazel asked.

"Yell loudly?" Percy suggested.

Annabeth's eyes narrowed. "I don't know that splitting up is the best idea."

"Can you breathe underwater?" Percy asked her. Annabeth glared at him and he shrugged. "We'll just go check things out. If we're not back in ten minutes—"

"Wait longer?" Hazel suggested, raising her eyebrows.

"Pretty much."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. She and Hazel exchanged a glance. "We'll give you guys fifteen minutes," Annabeth said. "Then we're figuring out a way to come after you."

"Perfect," Percy said. He kissed Annabeth on the cheek, then handed her the box with Medusa's head. "Keep an eye on this."

She looked nauseated, but she took the box.

Hazel gave Frank a quick kiss. "Just be careful."

"You too," he said. He agreed with Annabeth that splitting up didn't seem like a great plan, but they didn't have another option. Frank followed Percy into the water, then closed his eyes and concentrated. Within seconds, he had become a six-foot-long mako shark. If they were walking into a trap, Frank wanted to be something with teeth.

"Nice," Percy said appreciatively. He gestured downward. "After you."

With one last glance at Hazel and Annabeth standing worriedly at the side of the pool, Frank turned and dove into the depths.

* * *

It took them a full five minutes to swim to the bottom of the tunnel. Frank wasn't sure how many hundreds of feet that was, but he figured it was a lot. Finally, though, the shaft they were in opened up into a much larger space, like an underground lake. Frank and Percy swam forward until the water got shallow. They surfaced in front of an island of stone set in the middle of a massive underground cavern. Frank turned back to human so he wouldn't have to crawl onto the shore on his shark belly. He looked up and could just make out stalactites the size of school busses hanging down from the ceiling a hundred feet up, which made him realize something. "Where's that light coming from?"

Percy pointed. "Top of the island."

Sure enough, at the pinnacle of the island, about fifty feet away, was a small crystal, glowing brightly enough to illuminate the entire cavern. Silhouetted in front of the light, as if he were facing them, was the figure of a man. Frank unslung his bow and notched an arrow. Percy drew his sword. Together, they walked slowly up the slope towards the figure.

As they got closer, Frank realized that the figure was an old man, bald and so wrinkled he actually looked several thousand years old. His eyes were cloudy white with cataracts, but he turned to Frank and said, "I have been waiting many years for you, Frank Zhang. Welcome. I am Periclymenus."

"Uh, hi," Frank said, because it was all he could think of. What exactly were you supposed to say to long-dead ancestors? "Nice cave."

"Thank you," Periclymenus replied. He gestured to a stone table with benches around it. "Please, sit down, so we can talk."

Frank's grandmother had been fanatical about respecting ancestors, but if she'd ever mentioned what the proper etiquette was for sitting down with the ghost of one, Frank had missed the lesson. He and Percy sat down awkwardly across from Periclymenus, who seemed quite at his ease. "And, Periclymenus, this is Percy—"

"—Jackson, yes," Periclymenus said, nodding his bald head and turning his milky eyes towards Percy. "The most recent demigod child of Poseidon. Even amongst spirits, Perseus, you are quite famous."

"Is that a good thing?" Percy asked.

Periclymenus chuckled. "You know, Hercules once told me there is no such thing as bad publicity."

"We met him," Frank said. "He threw pineapples at our ship."

"Yes, that sounds like him," Periclymenus said. He leaned back and looked at Frank again. "We were crewmembers on the _Argo_, he and I. Sailed with Jason to find the Golden Fleece. Now, as I understand, you are sailing with a new Jason, on the _Argo II_."

"How did you know that?" Percy asked.

Periclymenus spread his hands and shrugged. "Spirits hear things, m'boy."

"You don't look like a spirit," Frank said. And it was true; Periclymenus looked solid and alive, not like the dead soldiers from the House of Hades, or even the spirit army in Alaska.

"Yes, well, many of us who came back through the Doors of Death appear like the living," Periclymenus said. "Your girlfriend, for instance."

Frank's stomach clenched. "Hazel's not a spirit. She's alive."

"Is she?" Periclymenus said lightly, tilting his head to the side. "For that matter, m'boy, are you?"

"What?" Frank asked.

Periclymenus leaned forward. The whiteness in his eyes reflected the glow of the crystal, making Frank uneasy. "I know about your curse, Frank Zhang, son of Mars, descendant of Poseidon, bearer of my own legacy. Your life is fated to be bright and brief."

Beads of sweat broke out on Frank's forehead, despite the cool dampness of the cave. But he took a deep breath and forced his voice to stay steady as he said, "I know that. But right now, we've got bigger problems. Demeter said you could give us some information about finding a key to unlock a weapon that will help us defeat Gaea and the giants."

Periclymenus nodded again. "I can give you that. And I can also give you this advice: our fates are not set in stone." He reached across the table and patted Frank's arm. Periclymenus's skin felt dry and papery, but his hand was solid. "We are each capable of choosing our own destiny. Perseus knows this. His friends Iapetus and Damasen discovered this fact for themselves."

Percy looked like he was struggling to swallow a boulder. Finally, he said, "He's right. If a Titan and a giant could choose to change their fate, probably anyone can."

"A Titan and a giant?" Frank asked incredulously.

"Tell you later," Percy said.

"So you see, Frank, you may have been born with that cursed piece of tinder, but your fate, your destiny, is still up to you. When the time comes, the choice will be yours."

The choice would be his. Frank wasn't sure that choosing to die was exactly much better than being fated to die, but for some reason he felt as if a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders, similar to the way he had felt when Leo gave him the fireproof bag to keep his stick in. _Our fates are not set in stone_. "I'll keep that in mind," he told Periclymenus. "Now, about that information Demeter mentioned?"

"Ah, yes." Periclymenus sat back and laced his fingers across his stomach. "Sadly, I do not possess the key that you seek. However, I do know where you can find it."

"Great," Frank said. "Where is it?"

"You must go to Santorini and seek out those whose love was as destructive as the volcano which shaped that island. I don't imagine they'll be hard to find." Periclymenus frowned, then added, "And you may not like to hear this, but I recommend that only female demigods go on this quest."

"Okay, why?" Percy asked.

"Because the lady of the island has good reason to be suspicious of men and her, for lack of a better word, _companion_ prefers to deal only with women. Trust me, the ladies in your group will be much more successful on their own."

Frank and Percy exchanged a look. "This should be interesting," Percy muttered.

"Indeed," Periclymenus said. He opened his mouth to tell them something else, but suddenly he stiffened. His eyes went wide with fear. "Oh no."

Instantly, Frank's hand went to his bow and, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Percy reach for his sword. "What's wrong?" Frank asked.

Periclymenus turned pale, suddenly appearing much more like a spirit. "You need to leave now. Get back up to the cave. _He_ is approaching."

Frank and Percy both stood up. "He who?" Frank asked.

Periclymenus seemed to be growing frailer, as if whoever he was talking about was literally sucking the life out of him. "The bane of Poseidon. You have met him before."

Frank's stomach dropped. Percy's expression turned grim. Frank flashed back to a dragon-legged giant towering over a hillside, basilisks falling from his hair.

"Polybotes."

* * *

*****This chapter kind of went in a direction I wasn't expecting, but it sets up a lot of stuff that comes later—next chapter is much more action-packed, stay tuned!*****


	9. Chapter 9: Percy

*****Sorry for the one day delay on this chapter, guys. I had a big project due that took up more time than I expected. But, hopefully, you'll enjoy this chapter. Next up is Chapter 10, featuring Piper's POV, which will be posted by Tuesday, April 15.*****

**IX. PERCY**

Percy didn't want to meet any more destructive people. And he wasn't a huge fan of volcanos, having once been blown up in one. But right now, the problem was Polybotes. And Annabeth and Hazel, who were alone in a cave with the giant.

Unfortunately, Percy and Frank burst out of the water in full attack mode. This was unfortunate because they ended up body-slamming Annabeth and Hazel, who were standing at the water's edge. The four of them fell to the ground with a chorus of shrieks and yells.

"What in Hades is wrong with you two?" Annabeth said.

"But—but Periclymenus said," Percy stuttered, looking around the cave, which was completely giant-free.

"Oh, gods," Frank muttered, his face bright red. He stood up and helped Hazel to her feet. "Do you think he lied to us?"

"Lied about what?" Hazel asked.

"Percy, could you please get your knee out of my stomach?" Annabeth asked.

"Oh, sorry." He scrambled to his feet and held out a hand to pull Annabeth up. She gave him a dirty look, but let him help her up. "But Periclymenus said Polybotes was up here. We thought—"

"Polybotes?" Annabeth said. "The guy who chased us across Tartarus?"

"And attacked Camp Jupiter?" Hazel asked.

"That's the one," Percy replied.

"Periclymenus said he was up here," Frank said, looking around, his bow in his hand. He turned to Percy. "Do you think he was lying?"

Percy thought about it for a moment, then shook his head. "I think he told us the truth. He said Polybotes was _approaching_. Which means we need to get the heck out of here."

"Sounds good to me," Hazel said.

Percy picked up the box containing Medusa's head, which Annabeth had dropped when he'd accidentally tackled her, and the four of them high-tailed it to the mouth of the cave.

But no sooner had they stepped out into the late morning sunlight when the ground exploded beneath their feet. Before Percy had a chance to figure out what had happened, a wall of water crashed into him, sweeping the demigods down the hill.

* * *

Percy lost all sense of direction. The water was wildly out of his control. The only thing he could do was hang on to the box with Medusa's head and wait for the current to slow. He knew instantly when they were washed into the sea at the bottom of the hill. The salt water was like a shock to his system, revitalizing his senses. Focusing all his willpower, he used the ocean to halt the flood from the hillside. Instantly, the water calmed and Percy was able to get to his feet in the shallow water just off the beach.

"Annabeth!" he called. "Hazel! Frank!"

"Here," Hazel said beside him, struggling to her feet as waves collided where the ocean met the muddy wash of water that had carried them downhill. Percy turned and saw Frank on his other side, also getting to his feet. They were both drenched, their hair plastered to their faces, but otherwise looked okay. On the beach, mortals were grabbing their towels and running for their cars, yelling what he assumed was Greek for "Mudslide!" But Percy didn't see Annabeth anywhere.

Panic was choking him like the muddy water. "Annabeth!"

"Son of Poseidon!" A horribly familiar voice boomed from the hillside. Percy raised his eyes to see Polybotes standing halfway up the hill, in front of Nestor's cave. His dragon legs and viper-dandruff hair were as awful looking as ever, but the worst part of the giant's appearance was the fact that he had one massive forearm hooked around Annabeth, lifting her off the ground. She was kicking and struggling, but the giant didn't seem bothered. Percy's stomach dropped. Polybotes leered at him and began to walk down the hill. "I have been waiting for you, Percy Jackson. You may have evaded me in Tartarus, but I will send you right back to the pit."

"No thanks," Percy said through gritted teeth. He felt Hazel and Frank close ranks on either side of him as Polybotes reached the beach.

"If we each attack from a different direction, we might have a chance," Frank said. "There's only one of him."

"But he'll crush Annabeth," Hazel protested. "And we might be able to fight him, but we can't defeat him. We don't have a god on our side."

Realization hit Percy. He almost thought he heard George, Hermes's snake, saying, "You owe me a rat for this one." He looked at the box in his hands. The water had dissolved the tape and the cardboard was getting soggy. One pitiful looking snake head was hanging out from the top. "We already have our godly help," Percy said.

Hazel and Frank looked confused for a moment, then Hazel's eyes widened in realization and Frank nodded, saying, "Mercury."

"Yep," Percy said. He turned back to face Polybotes. "When I give the signal, close your eyes and don't open them until I tell you it's safe."

"And Annabeth?" Hazel asked.

"I'm working on that." Percy's heart was beating uncomfortably fast as he walked towards the beach, the cardboard box held out in front of him. He was trusting completely in the fact that he and Annabeth had been fighting monsters together for so long. Hopefully, she would see the box and understand his plan. If not, well, he'd have to think fast because he was pretty sure she would somehow find a way to kill him if he turned her into one of Aunty Em's garden decorations.

"What is this?" Polybotes asked as Percy approached him. "An offering for me? A good gesture, son of the sea god, but it will not save you now. I will personally deliver you and the daughter of Athena to Mother Gaea in Athens. She will reward me above any of her other sons. The Dark Lady will be upset that she cannot exact her revenge on this one," he gave Annabeth a shake, "for humiliating her, but the Earth Mother's wishes prevail. Now, Percy Jackson, what do you have for me there?"

"A gift for you, courtesy of the Olympians," Percy said. His plan was seeming increasingly more ridiculous. Even if he managed to turn just Polybotes to stone, there was a good chance that the giant's stone arm would crush Annabeth.

However, she solved his dilemma by biting down, hard, on Polybotes's arm. The giant roared in pain and dropped Annabeth to the sand. She immediately rolled out of the way. Polybotes snarled and stepped toward her, but Percy yelled, "Here!"

He thrust his hand into the cardboard box. The feeling of the limp, cold snakes against his fingers sent chills up his arms, but he fought down his repulsion and yelled, "NOW!" as he shut his eyes and yanked Medusa's head out of the box. He prayed that his friends had closed their eyes.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE—" Polybotes thundering voice stopped as suddenly as a radio being turned off. There was a weird grinding noise, like stone on stone, then the beach shook as something very heavy hit the sand.

Percy dropped Medusa's head back into the box and quickly closed the flaps. Only then did he open his eyes.

Where Polybotes had been, there was now only a twenty-foot-tall stone statue, lying face down in the sand.

* * *

"Remind me to burn an extra cheeseburger for Hermes when we get back to camp," Percy said.

He dropped the gloppy remains of the cardboard box on the sand. Medusa's head had dissolved into monster dust and blown away by the time Percy reached the beach. Now he, Frank, Hazel, and Annabeth were standing beside the massive, grotesque statue of Polybotes. Frank kicked the giant's arm.

"Definitely stone," he announced.

"What do we do with it?" Hazel asked. "We can't just leave it on the beach for the mortals to find."

"Anyone got a drachma?" Percy asked.

Annabeth handed him one of the golden coins. "Why don't you ever carry any?"

"Because I know you always do."

She rolled her eyes.

"Are you going to send an Iris message?" Hazel asked.

"Actually," Percy said, "I'm hoping I can send a package by Hermes Express."

As he said the last two words, a packing sticker, a pen, and a pouch for coins popped up on the beach in front of him. "Awesome," Percy said, taking the pen and beginning to fill out the address label on the sticker.

"Where are you sending it?" Hazel asked.

Frank looked over Percy's shoulder as he wrote and read off, "Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium, New Jersey, USA. What's that?"

"It's where the rest of Medusa's statues are stored," Percy replied. He peeled off the sticker and stuck it on the giant's forehead.

Annabeth looked critically at the massive statue. "Do you really think one drachma will cover the shipping on this thing?"

Percy considered this, then added, "I.O.U. whatever it costs to ship a stone giant" to the bottom of the address label. "There goes my college fund," he said as he dropped the pen and the drachma in the pouch and tied that to Polybotes's ear.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, the giant rose into the air, showering them with sand, before picking up speed and shooting into the sky. There was a small "pop" and the statue disappeared.

"Alright," Percy said. "One giant down. How many more to go?"

"Too many," Frank muttered.

"We need to get back to the ship and tell the others what happened," Annabeth said. "Did you guys learn anything else from Periclymenus?"

Percy and Frank exchanged looks. "Yeah," Frank said. "We'll tell you on the ship. Speaking of which, how are we going to get back? I don't think Mercury is going to do us another favor."

Percy looked out at the ocean, then grinned at Frank and Hazel. "Have you two ever ridden a hippocampus?"

* * *

By the time they reached the ship fifteen minutes later, Percy was pretty sure Hazel was in love.

"They're amazing!" she said, stroking the mane of the hippocampus she was riding. The hippocampus turned its head and nuzzled her. Hazel giggled.

Percy grinned. "Yeah, they're pretty awesome."

Frank and Annabeth thanked their hippocampi, then swam to the side of the _Argo II_, where Leo had thrown down a rope ladder. Percy also slipped into the water, but Hazel seemed reluctant to leave her hippocampus.

"We can go for another ride when we get back to the U.S.," Percy promised. "We can take my brother, Tyson, he loves the 'fish-ponies'. You'll have to meet his favorite, Rainbow."

Hazel smiled. "Sounds like fun." Her hippocampus whickered happily as she gave it a last hug before following Frank and Annabeth to the ladder.

Percy gave his own hippocampus a final pat. "Thanks again, big guy. And, hey, if you could pass on a message to Rainbow for me? Tell him to let Tyson know we're doing okay over here."

The hippocampus neighed agreement, then all four turned and sped off back into the Ionian Sea.


	10. Chapter 10: Piper

*****Hi all, here's Chapter 10—woohoo, into double digits! Chapter 11, featuring Annabeth's POV, will be up by Thursday, April 17. And speaking of Annabeth's POV, I recently read "Staff of Serapis," which I really enjoyed—it's a good story. Only problem now is waiting until the next Kane/PJO crossover story comes out to find out what happens next. Also, I'm not Rick Riordan, or I would already know where he's going with this whole Greek/Egyptian crossover thing.*****

**X. PIPER**

They decided to fly part of the way to Santorini, to save time, so Piper took second watch with Jason. After a couple of _venti_ attacks, though, the night got quiet. Piper was standing at the forward rail, leaning against Festus and thinking about what Frank, Percy, Annabeth, and Hazel had told them about their trip to Pylos. She was glad they had dispatched one of the giants, but it sounded like Periclymenus was sending them on a wild goose chase. Piper spun her knife around on the railing. It pointed like a compass toward the southeast, the direction they were headed, but she figured that was just a coincidence. The horizon ahead of them was turning pale with the first hint of sunrise. In the distance, Piper could see the twinkling, faraway lights of Greek islands and the occasional light from a fishing boat. But mostly, there was only the dark ocean below and the star-sprinkled sky above.

"Pretty peaceful out here," Jason said, joining her at the railing.

"Mmhm." Piper patted Festus's neck, then shifted so that she could lean against Jason instead of the dragon. He wrapped an arm around her.

"Are you okay with this 'girls only' quest today?" he asked.

"I guess so. Why, don't you think we can handle it?" she asked him, teasing.

"Oh, I know you can handle it. I've seen the three of you in battle," Jason said. "I just think it's weird, for Periclymenus to suggest that."

Piper was quiet for a moment. "You think it's a trap."

"Maybe," Jason said. "Just be careful, Pipes. Keep your eyes open."

Piper looked up at him. The wind was ruffling his blonde hair. In the faint moonlight, she could just make out his bright blue eyes and the little scar over his upper lip, her favorite feature. She kissed him. "Everything's going to be fine."

"I hope you're right," he said. They were quiet for a few minutes. Piper was simply enjoying the peaceful moment and the warmth of Jason's arm around her. Then, Jason said, "By the way, I've been thinking about after the war and about, you know, us."

"Oh yeah?" Piper said, her heart suddenly racing.

"Well, I've been thinking that maybe, I might not go back to Camp Jupiter." Jason suddenly looked bashful. "I really like Camp Half-Blood. I was hoping that, after the war, maybe I could just stay there. With, um, you. And Leo and everyone else," he added hastily. "Does—does that sound like something you might want?"

Piper's heart leapt. Her secret fear had been that Jason would go back to Camp Jupiter, leaving her on Long Island. To hear him say that he wanted to stay at Camp Half-Blood—impulsively, Piper flung her arms around Jason's neck and kissed him, hard.

"I'll take that as a yes," Jason said when she pulled away.

Piper laughed. "Yes. You sticking around at Camp Half-Blood is _definitely_ something that I want."

Jason grinned, which Piper thought he needed to do more often; his whole face lit up when he smiled. "Awesome."

He bent down to kiss her again, but they were interrupted by Festus, who suddenly began creaking in alarm.

"More _venti_?" Jason asked the dragon, scanning the sky.

But Piper looked straight ahead and her stomach did a slow roll. Rising from the island in front of them was a pure black funnel cloud, its silhouette sharp against the sunrise. If she didn't know better, Piper would have thought the ancient volcano was erupting. But they were close enough to the island now to see mortals in the town were going about their business looking calm and happy. Clearly, the funnel cloud was a magical disturbance. Which didn't make Piper feel any better. She didn't want to go anywhere near that thing, which led her to believe it was exactly where they needed to go.

"We need to wake up the others," she told Jason. "

* * *

"It looks like the Mist on that hilltop where I met Hecate," Hazel said.

She, Annabeth, and Piper were standing at the edge of the funnel cloud, craning their necks to look up to where the top of the cloud disappeared into the clear blue sky. It had been a short hike from where the ship was floating beside a pier. All four boys had seemed reluctant to let them go.

"If you're not back by midafternoon, we're coming after you. I don't care what Periclymenus said," Percy told Annabeth.

She kissed him. "Relax, Seaweed Brain. We'll come back. Promise."

Jason kissed Piper's cheek. "Keep your eyes open. It could be a trap."

"Will do," she replied.

"Just be careful," Frank said as he hugged Hazel.

"And if you stop for souvenirs, I want a t-shirt," Leo had added, which at least made everyone smile or roll their eyes as the girls climbed down the rope ladder to the pier and set off.

Now, standing at the edge of the darkness, Piper had to wonder if Jason had a point about a trap. "So you're saying we should just walk straight into this thing?" Piper asked.

Hazel shrugged. "That's what I did when I met Hecate. It was calm at the eye of the storm. Maybe this is the same way."

Annabeth was studying the storm. She looked a little pale, but determined. "We need the key," she said simply. "If this is the way we need to go, we'll just have to figure it out."

Piper nodded. "Let's do this."

Piper expected to be hit by winds as she, Hazel, and Annabeth walked into the funnel cloud, but instead it felt like walking through cool mist.

_Or the Mist_, Piper thought.

For a few moments, everything was dark. She could barely make out the shapes of Hazel and Annabeth on either side of her. Then, the darkness thinned, and they stepped out into blazing sunlight.

The three of them were standing on the edge of a clearing. It looked like a forest glade from a Disney movie, like the place Snow White ended up when she met the dwarves. There were fruit trees, wildflowers, birds, rabbits, and deer. A stream ran right through the middle of the clearing, bubbling cheerily as it tumbled over the stones. All that was missing was a cute little cottage.

"What is this place?" Hazel whispered.

Piper and Annabeth both shook their heads. As idyllic as the place seemed, Piper couldn't relax. It seemed too perfect to be real. And as she looked around, taking in the scene, Piper realized they weren't alone.

A woman with long, flowing golden hair knelt beside the stream, trailing her fingers absentmindedly through the water. She was dressed in a simple, white silk dress, with a braided gold belt. The air shimmered with magical intensity and Piper's senses were on high alert. The woman didn't seem to notice them coming into her clearing. Piper exchanged looks with Annabeth and Hazel. The woman didn't seem dangerous, but they all knew that didn't mean anything.

Piper summoned her courage. "Hello?"

The woman looked up at the sound of Piper's voice, but her face was still hidden by her hair. She rose to her feet, her movements elegant and graceful, then turned fully around to face them.

Piper's breath caught in her throat. Beside her, she heard Annabeth and Hazel gasp.

The woman was stunningly, breathtakingly beautiful. Her large, almond-shaped eyes were a color halfway between a warm brown and Hazel's gold, and framed by long, thick lashes. She had high cheekbones, a nose supermodels would have spent millions to achieve, and full, pink lips. Her golden hair flowed down over her shoulders like a waterfall that spilled almost to her waist. Piper had often been complimented for her beauty, but compared to this woman she was nothing. Even Piper's mom Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty, would have to work hard to compete with this woman.

The woman slowly approached them. She held out her hands in a welcoming gesture, but she didn't smile. Her almond-shaped eyes held a deep sadness, as if her heart were breaking.

"Welcome," the woman said. Her voice was melodious, soft and sweet. Her sad eyes fixed on the weapon at Piper's hip. "My name is Helen. And I believe that is my dagger."

Piper instinctively put her hand on the hilt of Katoptris. "Your dagger? Wait, are you—are you _the _Helen? Helen of Troy?"

Helen gave her a gentle smile that didn't reach her eyes. "I am. Although before that I was Helen of Sparta and I prefer that name. Or just Helen. Troy brought me nothing but misery." A bitter note entered her sweet voice.

Hazel swallowed. "But aren't you—aren't you supposed to be dead?"

Helen took her golden-brown eyes off Katoptris to look at Hazel. "I could say the same about you, my dear."

Hazel looked taken aback, but Annabeth jumped in. "What are you doing here?" she asked Helen. "Who brought you back?"

"Gaea, of course." Helen sighed, a tiny, heartbreaking sound, but Piper kept her hand clenched around Katoptris. "But she didn't want me. She only wanted _him_." She spat the final word like a curse.

"Him who?" Piper asked, though she had a guess. Helen, after all, was only half of the most famous couple in history.

Helen's eyes were mournful as they met Piper's. "You know his name. He is the doom of Troy, the slayer of Achilles, the mortal chosen to judge the beauty of goddesses. I was the prize your mother offered him. And I have been cursed to spend eternity bound to him, the blood of thousands of Greek soldiers and Trojan citizens on our hands."

Helen held up her hands and Piper almost threw up. Her hands were covered in fresh, bright red blood. Bending down, Helen dipped her hands in the stream. The water turned pink as the blood was washed away. But by the time she stood up, her hands were covered in blood again.

"It never goes away," she said sadly, looking at her palms.

"That's—that's horrible," Annabeth choked.

"'The face that launched a thousand ships.' Isn't that what they say about me?" Helen faced them again. "But do they ever tell how few men sailed those ships home?"

Piper found her voice. "Please," she said, putting just a hint of charmspeak into her words, "we need the key to Demeter's temple in Eleusis. Do you have it?"

"I have half of the key," Helen said, "which I will gladly give up. But it will do you no good. _He_ will never give you the half he holds. This is why Gaea brought us back. To keep you from harnessing the power of the Eleusinian Mysteries."

Piper, Annabeth, and Hazel exchanged looks.

"Demeter was telling the truth," Annabeth whispered. "If Gaea is afraid, it means the weapon must work."

Hazel turned back to Helen. "Please, can you at least take us to him? We have to get the other half of the key."

Helen closed her eyes. Blood from her hands dripped onto the hem of her white dress, but it left no stain. Finally, she opened her eyes. In them, Piper saw an endless well of pain, but also a flicker of defiance. "Very well. I will take you to," she shuddered, "_Paris_."


	11. Chapter 11: Annabeth

*****Here's Chapter 11; just fyi, it's a little bit darker towards the end than some of my other chapters. Chapter 12, from Hazel's POV, will be up by Monday, April 21. Have a great weekend and happy Easter!*****

**XI. ANNABETH**

Of all the old heroes Annabeth had read about, Paris seemed by far the least threatening. But that was before she saw him. She had expected someone young and handsome, but if Paris had been that way once, he certainly wasn't now. The best word Annabeth could think of to describe him was _grotesque_.

Helen had led the demigods into an adjacent glade where Paris was seated on a leafy throne that reminded Annabeth of the one she had seen Dionysus sit on once at a Council of Cloven Elders meeting. Oddly, the clearing was full of small apple trees interspersed with chocolate fountains. Paris was lounging on his throne, using a paring knife to cut slices from a chocolate-dipped apple, which seemed to Annabeth like a weird combination. Beside the throne was a massive chocolate fountain, at least ten feet tall, and a pile of ripe, red apples. Paris had chocolate smeared across his face and there were chocolate stains down the front of his Greek _chiton_, which was stretched tight across the massive expanse of his stomach. His entire body was bloated and speckled with chocolate and apple seeds. The sight made Annabeth nauseous. He looked up as they approached him and a hideous, chocolate-stained grin split his face.

"Helen, my love!" he said jovially, opening his arms as if he expected a hug. Helen, however, stopped at the foot of his throne, her beautiful face fixed in an icy expression. Paris either didn't notice or didn't care. He had already turned away from her to look at the three demigods. "And who have you brought to me?"

Annabeth's skin crawled as Paris's eyes raked over her, Piper, and Hazel. His expression was greedy, as if Helen had brought him a tasty snack. "Let me see, daughters of Aphrodite and Athena, I believe," he mused. "I had the pleasure of meeting your mothers, long ago. Zeus himself chose me to decide which goddess was the most beautiful, you know. Hera, Athena, or Aphrodite. Whichever I chose received the golden apple. You can see that Gaea has rewarded me with apple trees here, to remind me of my great decision."

Annabeth remembered the story of the Judgment of Paris. Hera had offered to make him ruler over all of Greece and Asia. Athena had offered to make him the wisest man in the world. But Aphrodite had offered him Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world, to be his bride. Despite the fact that Paris already had a wife, a nymph named Oenone, he chose Aphrodite as the most beautiful, so that he could have Helen.

"Yes," Paris said dreamily. "I chose Aphrodite's gift, my sweet Helen. And so I have the chocolate fountains because chocolate, after all, is the food of love. Isn't that right, child of the Underworld?" He winked at Hazel, who recoiled.

"And you gorge yourself on this food every day," Helen said, still staring straight ahead.

Paris's expression hardened. "I may do as I please, woman. Don't forget that."

"Of course you may," Helen said. Her voice was flat and emotionless. "I apologize, my prince."

Annabeth exchanged looks with Piper and Hazel. None of them wanted to stay in this place any longer than they had to. They needed to get Paris's half of the key and get out.

Piper took a deep breath, then forced a smile. "Perhaps, Prince Paris, you can help me as you once helped my mother." Annabeth could sense the power of charmspeak in Piper's voice. Paris perked up. "My friends and I are looking for a key that will allow us to get into Demeter's temple in Eleusis. We knew you were the best person to ask about it and we would be so grateful if you could help us." Piper's smile was sincere, but Annabeth could see her friend clenching her fists behind her back.

Paris considered them carefully. For a moment, Annabeth thought it might actually be that easy, that he would just hand over whatever the key was. But then, still smiling condescendingly, he shook his head. "I'm afraid I cannot give you that, my darling. You see, the earth mother herself has entrusted me with the task of guarding the chest, just as Zeus once trusted me to judge the beauty of the great goddesses." He pointed over his shoulder at a small golden chest sitting on a shelf behind his throne.

"I am _not_ your darling," Piper said. "So you're just going to sit back and let Gaea destroy the world, the same way you allowed Troy to be destroyed so you could have what you wanted?"

The smile slid off of Paris's face like melting chocolate. "Helen was given to me by _your_ mother. If anything, Aphrodite started the Trojan War. The fault is not mine."

"What about when you challenged Menelaus to single combat, then ran away when it looked like you would lose?" Annabeth said. "You let Hector, your brother, die in your place."

Paris's face had a very ugly expression. He was still clutching the paring knife in one hand, the chocolate-covered apple in the other. "Hector volunteered to fight for me. His death is not on my hands."

"What about Achilles?" Hazel asked. "You took advantage of his weak spot and shot him from a distance, like a coward, rather than face him. Is his blood on your hands?"

Paris looked at Helen, standing as still as a statue beside Piper. "I don't know, my dear," he said in a low voice. "On whose hands is the blood of these heroes?"

Helen's hands, held loosely at her sides, were still dripping blood on her dress, though the drops left no stain. Paris held up his own hands, which were streaked with chocolate and juice from the apple he was holding, but there was no blood.

"Am I any worse than those so-called heroes you three claim to love?" Paris asked as he sliced another chunk of apple off and popped it in his mouth. He pointed his knife at Annabeth. "You claim to hate me because I left my brother to die in my place, but Perseus Jackson did the same thing. He left Charles Beckendorf to die while he fled to safety in the sea."

Annabeth felt like she'd been punched in the stomach. "Percy didn't want to leave him," she said, hating how weak her voice sounded. "Beckendorf made his own choice. He died a hero."

"As did my brother Hector," Paris said with a revolting smile. He turned to Piper. "And you dare to say that I selfishly abandoned my home, while Jason Grace plans to do the same thing. He told you, didn't he, that he will leave Camp Jupiter, his home of _fourteen years,_ to stay with you at Camp Half-Blood?"

All the blood drained out of Piper's face. "How—how can you know that?"  
Paris's smile widened. "The earth mother has many eyes and ears." He looked at Hazel, who gritted her teeth. "Frank Zhang has a weakness, just as Achilles did. You have to know that it is only a matter of time until someone takes advantage of that weakness, as I did to Achilles, the supposed greatest warrior in history." Paris made a disgusted face. "Leo Valdez is very good with fire, isn't he? How can you be sure you can trust him? He's keeping secrets even now. I mean, he hasn't told you where he went for that week he was gone, has he? For that matter, how can you trust the two who came back from Tartarus?" Paris gestured towards Annabeth, whose stomach clenched. "How do you know that place didn't change them?"

"Stop it!" Hazel snapped. A tremor rippled through the clearing like a tiny earthquake, shaking the fountains so that chocolate splashed over the sides. "You're not turning us against our friends."

"You're as bad as Hercules," Piper spat. "You blame everyone else for your problems and try to make other people as miserable as you are. But you're wrong. Jason, Leo, Frank, and Percy are _way_ better heroes than you ever were. All you are is a disgusting, selfish _pig_."

Paris's face froze. Annabeth clenched her fist around the handle of her sword. When Paris spoke, his voice was low and dangerous. "I was _chosen_. I alone of mortals was deemed fit to judge the beauty of goddesses. I was given the gift of the most beautiful woman in the world. _That_ is my legacy. I will not be slandered by some worthless _female_ demigods."

Annabeth suddenly understood why Periclymenus had suggested that the boys stay on the ship. It wasn't just to gain Helen's trust. It was because Periclymenus wanted to humiliate Paris and he knew that having the Trojan prince be brought down by a female demigod would be a crushing blow to Paris's pride. Annabeth was happy to indulge the old Argonaut on this one.

She drew her drakon bone sword and glanced at Piper and Hazel. "We need to get that chest."

Hazel drew her _spatha_. "Only one way to do that."

Piper drew Katoptris, leaving her Boread sword in its sheath. Annabeth guessed the gesture was symbolic, since that had been Helen's knife. "Let's go."

The three of them charged at Paris. Annabeth knew it wasn't a fair fight, but she didn't care. They had to get the chest and Paris seriously needed to go back to the Underworld.

However, Paris moved unimaginably fast. Annabeth dove to the side as he threw his paring knife at her. Hazel dodged as he flung the chocolate-covered apple at her. Piper jabbed her knife at him, but Paris spun out of the way, surprisingly light on his feet for someone so large. He grabbed an armful of apples off the pile by his throne and began flinging them at the demigods. The apples were so ripe that they burst on contact. Annabeth figured she was going to have bruises from where the fruit hit her, but she could deal with that later. Helen was still standing stock-still near the throne, neither helping nor hindering.

Paris ran out of apples and took off running out of the garden, dodging around chocolate fountains and apple trees. Hazel screamed and another tremor shook the ground, this one much harder. Chocolate fountains tumbled, splashing chocolate everywhere, apples thudded to the ground, and Paris was knocked off his feet. Annabeth lost her balance and fell to her knees. Piper charged at Paris again, but he was ready for her. He caught her wrist as she brought Katoptris down and twisted. Piper cried out in pain and dropped the knife. The next instant, Paris was on his feet, holding Katoptris against Piper's throat.

"Enough of this," he growled. He limped back to his throne, one arm locked around Piper's shoulders, the other hand keeping the blade of the knife against her throat.

Annabeth's heart was pounding as she got back to her feet. Usually this was the point where she would start trying to talk her way out of the situation. But Paris was insane. Annabeth was afraid that if she said the wrong thing, he would kill Piper.

"Now," Paris said as he stood in front of his throne, "Gaea demands one of you for her sacrifice in Athens. I don't care which one she takes. The other two will stay here with me. You will serve me, as Helen does, because I am—"

"—a world-class jerk," Piper finished. She head-butted Paris in the mouth. He roared in pain and flung her away from him, clutching his face.

Piper slammed against the ground. Katoptris flew out of Paris's hand and landed at Helen's feet. Slowly, Helen bent down and picked up the knife.  
"Help me, woman!" Paris said through his busted lip. Blood was running down his chin, mixing grotesquely with the chocolate on his face.

Helen looked at him for a long moment. If Helen decided to attack Piper, Annabeth and Hazel were too far away to help. Hazel began to move, cautiously, towards the throne. Annabeth held her breath. All of Paris's attention was focused on Helen and Piper in front of him. Then Helen said, softly, "No."

"Excuse me?" Paris demanded.

"No," Helen said simply, louder this time. She pulled Piper to her feet and handed her back Katoptris. "I am done helping you."

Paris hissed. "You were my prize, woman. Without me, you are nothing!"

Helen shook her head. "Wrong. It is you who are nothing."

Paris opened his mouth to reply, but he never got the chance. He had been so focused on Helen, he hadn't noticed Hazel, who snuck around behind his throne and drove her sword through his chest.

Paris let out a hideous wail. His form shivered, smoking where the Imperial gold blade touched him, and then his body burst like the fountains, spraying chocolate everywhere. Hazel, Piper, Annabeth, and Helen were doused in the goop.

"Gross!" Hazel shrieked, backing away from the throne.

Annabeth gagged. She swiped at her arms, trying to get as much of the Paris-chocolate off of her as possible.

Piper actually threw up. Her face was pale under the chocolate as she stood back up and said shakily, "That was the single most disgusting thing I have ever seen."

"Yes," Helen said. She looked strangely unperturbed by the chocolate staining her clothes and skin. "But he's gone now." She turned to Annabeth. "You can take the chest."

Annabeth had absolutely no desire to get closer to the spot where Paris had been, but she forced herself to walk forward and collect the small golden chest off of the shelf behind his throne. It was warm to the touch, like it had been sitting out in a field on a summer day. The chest was carved with agriculture-related scenes outlined with stalks of various grains—barley, oats, wheat.

"I must thank you girls," Helen said. "You have brought me a brief respite from my curse and I am grateful. This belongs to you." She handed Piper a wicker basket with a lid, the size of a small picnic basket. "This _kalathos_, along with the _kiste_ chest, will get you into Demeter's sacred place in Eleusis. But take care not to open either of these until you are in front of her altar. I doubt the goddess would appreciate that."

"Thank you," Piper said as she took the basket.

"You're welcome," Helen replied. Her eyes were mournful again. "I am sorry for Paris's behavior, but there is truth in the things he told you. You can't trust heroes. They will always let you down."

Annabeth's hands tightened on the chest she was holding. "You're wrong. Percy has never let me down. And Piper's right, these guys are different than the old heroes. They're better people."

Helen just looked at her, as if foreseeing heartbreak. "For your own sakes, my dears, I hope you're right. Now, farewell. And good luck with your quest." With that, she raised her hand in a final wave as she and the clearing evaporated like mist.

The pitch-black funnel cloud also slowly dissolved, leaving the three girls standing on a sunny, wind-swept hillside that looked completely normal.

Hazel exhaled. "Well, that was less than fun."

"Yep," Piper agreed. She studied the basket in her hands. "This is the weirdest looking key I've ever seen."

"Yeah, it is," Annabeth said. "Hopefully it makes sense once we get to Eleusis."

"Here's hoping," Piper said.

Hazel made a face as she pulled an apple peel off her shirt. "Come on, let's get back to the ship. We can tell the guys what we learned."

"And get cleaned up," Annabeth added.

"Yeah," Piper said as they started to walk back. "I don't know about you two, but I don't think I'm going to eat chocolate or apples again for a long time."

*****Just a last, quick note: I know the story of Paris and Helen is often considered really romantic (epic love and all that), but in several versions of the story, Paris really was a jerk. He had a wife and a son whom he abandoned to chase after Helen and he did run away from the fight with Menelaus, Helen's actual husband, which led to Hector being killed by Achilles. That's where the idea for this chapter came from: I wanted to play around with the idea of Paris being a selfish jerk who Helen doesn't actually want to be with. Hope you enjoyed reading!*** **


	12. Chapter 12: Hazel

*****Thank you to everyone who has reviewed/followed/favorited this story, you guys are awesome! I'm a little ahead of schedule on writing, so I thought I'd go ahead and post Chapter Twelve. Chapter 13, featuring Jason's POV and what happens in Eleusis, will be up by Tuesday, April 22. Have a great weekend! *****

**XII. HAZEL**

It wasn't a pleasant walk back to the ship. True, it was another beautiful summer day, but Hazel, Piper, and Annabeth were covered in chocolate and smashed apples; Hazel's shoes squished as she walked. More disturbing, though, were the things Paris and Helen had said. In the distance, Hazel could see the _Argo II_, floating like a giant bronze balloon about ten feet above the surface of the water. She thought she could see tiny figures moving around the hull; the guys must have been making some more repairs or upgrades to the ship. Finally, Hazel got up the courage to ask, "Do you think Paris and Helen were right?"

"No," Annabeth and Piper said together, immediately.

Hazel bit her lip. "But some of the things they said were true, about Frank's weakness and Leo not telling us where he went. Not that I think he's hiding anything bad," she added hastily, "but was what they said about Percy and Jason true, too?"

Piper blushed and Annabeth looked uncomfortable. "They were right that Percy left Beckendorf," Annabeth said. "But he didn't want to. They went on a mission to blow up Kronos's demon cruise ship and they got caught. The detonator they were using didn't have a time delay, so when Beckendorf pressed it—," Annabeth took a shaky breath. "He knew what he was doing and he died a hero. Percy only survived because he could use the ocean currents to get away from the worst of the explosion. But believe me, he felt horrible about what happened. I know he beat himself up over it, wishing there was something else he could have done."

Hazel nodded. That sounded like Percy as she'd come to know him. "And Jason?"

Even through the chocolate, Hazel could see that Piper's cheeks were red. "Yes, he said he wanted to stay at Camp Half-Blood after the war. But he gave up his role as praetor to Frank," she added defensively. "And Frank will be an awesome praetor; you should have seen him lead the ghost army in the House of Hades. So Jason should be free to go where he wants to now. He's not abandoning Camp Jupiter. He's left it in really good hands."

Hazel smiled. "Thanks, Piper."

"Helen had a point, though," Annabeth said. "A lot of times the heroes in the old stories turned out to be jerks. But it doesn't have to be that way."  
"Paris just wanted to cause trouble," Piper said. "And Helen has been let down too many times. She's bitter. I don't think she even wants to believe that there's such a thing as good heroes."

"But she's wrong," Hazel said. "I have to believe that those guys," she pointed at the _Argo II_, "are good heroes."

"They are," Annabeth said. "And they have us to keep them that way."

Hazel and Piper laughed. "Exactly," Piper said.

"So, on the negative side of the trip, we got bad dating advice," Hazel said. "But on the plus side, we got the key to Demeter's temple. How do you think it works?"

Piper shifted the wicker basket in her hands, turning it to look at all the sides. "Helen said not to open either one until we get to Demeter's altar. So maybe we have to set them somewhere specific? I honestly have no idea."

"I wonder how long it'll take us to get to Eleusis," Annabeth said.

"As soon as we get back to the ship we can ask Admiral Valdez," Piper said as the three of them started down the final slope toward the pier where the _Argo II_ was floating.

* * *

"Holy Hephaestus, what happened to you three?" Leo asked as Hazel, Piper, and Annabeth climbed back aboard the ship. All four boys were gaping at them, which led Hazel to believe that they must have looked pretty bad.

"Paris," Hazel said, picking chunks of apple out of her hair, which was sticky with chocolate.

Frank's brow furrowed. "Um, isn't that in France?"

"Not the city, the Trojan," Annabeth said, wiping a trickle of chocolate out of her eye. When the boys continued to look blank, she added, "As in Helen and Paris, who effectively started the Trojan War."

The three of them explained what had happened on the island and showed the boys the _kiste_ chest and _kalathos_ basket.

"So these are supposed to get us into Demeter's sacred temple?" Leo said, tilting the chest up as if checking for mechanisms.

"Apparently," Piper said. "And this weapon better be worth it, because getting that key was repulsive."

"I don't know," Percy said, grinning. "The covered in chocolate part isn't terrible."

Annabeth threw an apple peel at him. "If it were just chocolate it'd be okay, but it's Paris-chocolate, which is disgusting."

"Um, what?" Percy asked.

"When I stabbed him, Paris exploded," Hazel said matter-of-factly, "into a giant, chocolatey mess."

All four boys suddenly looked nauseated.

"So that's _Paris_ all over you?" Leo asked.

"Well, some of it's from the chocolate fountains," Piper said, "but yeah, it's mostly Paris leftovers."

"That's sick," Jason said.

"Yes, it is, which is why I just want to get cleaned up and get this gunk off," Piper said. She plucked an apple core off of her shorts.

"Same here. And," Annabeth glanced over the side of the ship, as if measuring the distance to the water, then looked back at the others with a mischievous grin, "it's a great day for a swim." And she jumped over the side of the ship.

The rest of the crew stood stock still for a minute, staring at the spot where she'd disappeared. Then, Percy grinned.

"I freaking love her," he said as he, too, jumped over the side.

Piper shrieked as Jason scooped her up. "Can't let them have all the fun," he said. He summoned a gust of wind to carry them over the side and drop them gently in the water.

"Yeah, so, that looks like fun and all, but I think I'll hang out up here, maybe work on the Archimedes sphere," Leo said, backing away from the railing with his hands up. "Fire and water don't really go together."

Hazel glanced at Frank and saw an evil grin on his face that matched her own. "No way, buddy," she said to Leo. "You're going in."

Hazel and Frank lunged and caught Leo by the arms before he could get away, then tossed him, cursing and flailing, over the side and into the water. He came up spluttering. "I know where you sleep!" he yelled.

"We're so going to pay for that," Hazel said.

"Probably," Frank replied. He held out his hand. "But first, want to join me for a swim?"

Hazel smiled and took his hand. "I'd love to."

Together, they jumped over the side to join their friends.

* * *

The crew spent most of the afternoon in the water and at the nearby beach, where Piper used the cornucopia to produce a picnic lunch. It was nice to forget about the war, just for a little while, and hang out like normal teenagers. Hazel felt somewhat guilty about wasting the afternoon, but they couldn't make it to Eleusis until the next morning anyway, and she thought they could all use the break. They'd been under a lot of stress the last few weeks.

Back on board the ship, after everyone had changed into dry clothes, the seven of them gathered around the helm to plan their next move.

"Looks like we'll be arriving in Eleusis at 0700 hours," Leo announced after typing the coordinates into the ship's computer.

"Since when do we use military time?" Frank asked.

"Since now," Leo replied with a grin.

Hazel rolled her eyes. "The point is, we're going to get there tomorrow morning. We need to decide who's going into the temple."

"I think it should be all of us," Annabeth said.

There was silence as everyone turned to look at her.

"We'll attract every monster in a hundred-mile radius," Jason said.

Annabeth shrugged. "There's a bounty on our heads. We're already attracting every monster in the vicinity."

"Yeah, but we don't need to make it easier for them," Percy muttered.

Annabeth looked at her boyfriend, clearly hurt that he wasn't automatically taking her side. "Look, I know it's been said before, but Hera made us a team of seven for a reason. Think about Rome, or the House of Hades, or even Charleston. We work best when we work together. _All_ together."

There was silence again, then Frank nodded. "I agree. Like you said, look at the House of Hades. It took all of us to get through that place and close the Doors of Death. And we don't know what we'll encounter at Eleusis. It only makes sense to have all our resources available."

"Paris did say that Gaea wants to keep us from getting this weapon," Hazel added. "So there's a good chance she's going to put up a fight to stop us from getting through the temple. We'll probably have a better chance if everyone goes."

Annabeth gave them both a grateful smile, but Piper, Leo, Jason, and Percy were all still frowning at the floor.

"Percy?" Annabeth asked.

Percy raised his head. He looked at Frank, then Hazel. When their eyes met, Hazel saw something unexpected. _He's afraid_, she thought, stunned. Percy looked away. He took Annabeth's hand. "I have a bad feeling about this," he said. "I—I can't explain. But I think you're right. We all need to go."

Piper glanced uneasily from Percy to Jason to Leo. "What about the ship?"

"Festus can keep an eye on things," Leo said. "And I've added some extra cloaking features. To mortals and immortals, when we're not on board, it's just going to look like some old rowboat sitting in the harbor."

"How come you can't do that when we're on here?" Frank asked. "Wouldn't that help cut down on attacks?"

"Demigod blood, my friend," Leo said. "Kills the illusion."

"Lame," Frank muttered.

"Anyway," Annabeth said. Her eyes were narrowed, looking at the last hold-out. "Jason?"

Jason was quiet for a minute, still studying the floorboards. Then he looked up. His eyes flickered around the group and Hazel saw the same flash of fear she'd seen in Percy's. "I have the same feeling as Jackson," he admitted. "I don't know why. I haven't—haven't had a dream or anything like that, but I have a bad feeling about Eleusis. I didn't really pay attention to it before today, but I think it's been in the back of my mind for a while."

"Same here," Percy said. "Nobody else is getting this?"

The rest of them shook their heads. True, Hazel was dreading another mysterious encounter with some god's cult, but she didn't have any specific bad feelings about Eleusis.

"Then I think that's all the more reason everyone should go," Jason said. "Like Frank said, since we don't know what we'll encounter, it's best if we have all our resources available."

Piper took Jason's hand. "Do you think it's a trap or something?"  
He shook his head. "I don't know. I just feel like something's going to go wrong."

"Dang, I was hoping I was imagining things," Percy said. "But if you're feeling the same way, man, that's not a good sign."

"We'll just have to be on our guard," Annabeth said.

"Everything will be fine," Piper said. Hazel suspected there was a hint of charmspeak in her voice as she said, "We're going to go to the temple, use the key, and get the weapon. Then we'll use it to blast Gaea and the giants to smithereens. And then we can go home and stop the camps from annihilating each other."

"I like it," Leo said. "A nice, straightforward plan."

The tension broke as there were some small laughs.

"Piper's right," Hazel said. "We'll be fine."

Festus blew fire. "And that, ladies and gentlemen, is our signal to lift off," Leo said. "As I said before, we'll be in Eleusis at 0700. So anyone who's not on first watch, go get some sleep."

Frank was taking first watch with Leo, but Hazel pulled him aside as the others headed downstairs to their cabins. She kissed him. "Thanks for being one of the good heroes."

"Uh, you're welcome?" Frank seemed reluctant to let go of Hazel's hand. "I hope everything goes okay tomorrow. I mean, if something has Percy and Jason that freaked out…"

"I know." Hazel squeezed his hand. "But like Annabeth said, Hera made us a team for a reason. Between the seven of us, we should be able to figure out whatever it is."

"Yeah, you're probably right." Frank kissed her again. "You'd better get some rest. I have a feeling we're going to need it."


	13. Chapter 13: Jason

*****Okay, so this chapter was ridiculously fun to write. I hope you enjoy reading it! Chapter 14, featuring Leo's POV, will be up by Friday, April 25. Also, because I don't think I've done a disclaimer recently, I am not Rick Riordan, I'm just borrowing these characters.*****

**XIII. JASON**

Jason had hoped to get a good night's sleep, but his dreams were less than restful. He saw Reyna, looking fierce and a little battered, striking down gryphons in what might have been London; there was a giant Ferris wheel in the distance and a clock tower that looked like Big Ben. Behind her, Nico was slumped against the Athena Parthenos. Jason couldn't tell whether the son of Hades had passed out or was just sleeping. He heard a familiar war-cry and turned in time to see Coach Hedge whack one gryphon over the head with his baseball bat, then roundhouse kick another. Both monsters exploded into dust and the dream changed.

He saw his sister, Thalia, leading a group of Hunters through a forest in what looked like Colorado; above the treetops, Jason could make out the peaks of the Rocky Mountains. With the Hunters were a group of satyrs, including Percy's friend Grover Underwood.

"You're sure they were around here, Grover?" Thalia whispered. Her bow was in her hands, two arrows already on the string, ready to fire.

"Positive," Grover replied. He was clutching his wooden pipes tightly. "Gaea released two dozen Earthborn somewhere really near to—"

Grover was cut off as a roar went up and at least twenty six-armed Earthborn stormed through the trees.

Before Jason could see what happened, his dream changed again. He was standing on a cliff, overlooking a city. Wind pulled on his hair and clothes. Behind him, he heard a low chuckle. He turned to see the Parthenon rising against the star-strewn sky. A chill swept over him.

The ground in front of the ancient temple swirled until it formed the face of a sleeping woman. Gaea chuckled again. "A cage awaits you, son of Jupiter."

Jason opened his mouth to say "No, thanks," but a gust of wind blasted him in the chest and flung him over the side of the cliff. He tried to control the winds, to stop his fall, but the wind wouldn't obey. Just before he hit the ground, he woke up, sitting straight up in bed, drenched in sweat. It took a minute for his heart to stop racing. Jason was grateful Leo had thought to add rubber flooring and insulated walls to his room because judging by the scorch marks, he had thrown off some pretty good bolts. It happened sometimes during his more disturbing dreams. And tonight's dreams had been especially disturbing.

He glanced at his alarm clock, which said 5:30. An hour and a half until they were scheduled to arrive in Eleusis. Jason wished he knew why he had this sinking feeling in his stomach every time he thought of the place. There was no specific reason he should feel this nervous. But it was as if, on a gut level, he knew that something was going to go horribly wrong. And apparently Percy felt the same way. What bothered Jason was that none of the others had the same apprehension.

_To storm or fire, the world must fall_.

Everyone agreed that "storm" probably referred to either Jason or Percy. Jason wondered if that was why they were the only ones with the bad feeling about Eleusis; maybe Gaea had a plan to eliminate the "storm" part of the prophecy there. Jason remembered his dream of the Earth Mother saying, "A cage awaits you, son of Jupiter," and he shuddered.

Sleep was obviously out of the question. Jason threw back the covers and decided that, since he was already awake, he might as well get dressed and grab breakfast. But waking up at 5:30 in the morning didn't feel like a promising start to the day.

* * *

Things didn't get any more promising when the seven of them reached the ruins in Eleusis. The ruins were set on top of a hill, looking out over the bay. The view of the bay, the town, and the rolling hills was great, but Jason had seen a lot of great views. His uneasiness was growing; all he wanted was for them to find this weapon and get back to the ship as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, there were no obvious signs saying, "Demigods this way," which would have been helpful.

"Seriously, would it be so hard to get a deity-drawn map or something?" Leo complained.

"It's like Pylos all over again," Frank muttered.

"Except no Hermes this time," Percy said, looking around.

"Let's just start with the obvious," Piper said. She had the _kalathos_ basket tucked safely in her backpack, while Annabeth had the _kiste_ chest in hers. _At least the key objects were portable_, Jason thought. The wind was whipping Piper's hair across her face and she impatiently brushed it away. "Where was Demeter's temple?"

"Over this way." Annabeth led the way toward some ruins set at the mouth of a shallow cave in the hillside. "I looked up some information on Eleusis last night. There were a few things about the ruins, but unfortunately the ceremony itself was pretty accurately called the Eleusinian _Mysteries_. There was barely any information on them."

The ruined temple didn't look like anything special, just six stone steps leading up to a marble slab covered with broken off pillars. Jason supposed it must once have been impressive, but now it just looked like someone's patio after a bad storm had gone through, with loose stones and rubble scattered around.

"Getting anything from those sacred objects?" Leo asked. "Maybe they'll heat up when they get close to the altar or something."

Annabeth and Piper both shook their heads. "Nothing," Piper said.

Hazel turned in a slow circle, taking in the ruins. She studied the cave. "Do you see that?"

"See what?" Percy asked.

Hazel didn't answer. She walked into the cave, staring at the back wall. Jason couldn't see anything there.

"Hazel?" Frank asked.

The others followed Hazel into the cave. It was still early enough that it was chilly in the shade. Jason felt a shiver pass down his spine as he crossed into the shade, but he wasn't sure if it was from the change in temperature or something else.

Hazel was examining the back wall of the cave. She reached up to brush some loose dirt off and suddenly Jason saw what Hazel had already noticed. Carved into the rock was a symbol that looked like a lot of curved sticks clustered together. "What is that supposed to be?" Jason asked.

"I think it's supposed to be a sheaf of wheat," Hazel said. "When grains are harvested, they're set up like this, to keep them off the ground. The sheaf of wheat is one of the symbols of Demeter."

"So this must be the entrance," Percy said.

Hazel bit her lip. "There should be a door here, but I can't figure out how to open it. It's like it's locked or something."

"Maybe we need the chest and the basket?" Annabeth suggested.

"No," Jason said. Even in his own ears, his voice sounded odd. But he had just noticed an indentation in the rock above the sheaf, a hollow that curved in a familiar shape. "Piper, we need the cornucopia."

"The cornucopia?" Piper looked confused until she saw where Jason was looking and her eyes widened. Quickly, she unslung the horn and pressed it into the indentation. It fit perfectly. Blue light poured from the horn, lighting up the stalks of wheat, and forming the outline of a door. The stone melted away, revealing an archway that led into a tunnel. The blue light died and the cornucopia fell back into Piper's hands. Everyone stood still, stunned. "If Hercules hadn't assigned us that task," Piper whispered, "if I hadn't gotten the horn from Achelous—"

Jason nodded grimly. "Someone set us up."

"Hera?" Leo wondered.

Jason shrugged. "Maybe. Or—or someone else." He meant Gaea, but he didn't want to say the earth goddess's name when they were about to go underground. From his friends' faces, though, he guessed they understood what he meant.

"It doesn't matter," Annabeth said. "We have to keep going."

Hazel nodded. "We need to get the weapon. Just keep your eyes open, in case it's a trap." And she led the way into the dark tunnel.

* * *

The tunnel twisted and turned, seeming to go on forever. The door had disappeared behind them a long time ago; now, the only light came from Hazel, Jason, and Percy's swords, plus the ball of fire Leo had summoned in his hand. They were trusting mostly in Hazel's underground senses, but she led them confidently, not missing a turn. Finally, up ahead, there was a glimmer of light. They came around a final bend in the path and saw a massive archway, at least twenty feet tall, up ahead. Outside the archway, something was making a strange rumbling noise, followed by a burst of steam that blew across the doorway.

Hazel started forward, but Frank put out an arm to hold her back. "Wait. Let me check it out first." Without waiting for an answer, Frank transformed into a snake. He slithered up the wall of the tunnel and across the ceiling until he could look out. Jason had to admit it was a good idea. Frank the snake was much less noticeable than a full-size demigod. After a moment, Frank slithered back and dropped to the ground. He transformed back into himself, his face pale. "You've got to see this. But stay quiet. We _definitely_ don't want to wake it up."

The seven of them crept forward until they could look out of the archway. What he saw made Jason's heart drop into his shoes.

The tunnel opened into a cavern massive enough to house four football stadiums. Sunlight streamed down through enormous glass panes set into the roof several hundred feet up. The cavern itself was oddly beautiful, peaceful like a cathedral or a library, the type of place where whispering was the only acceptable form of noise. Except here, Jason didn't even think whispering was a good idea. Looking into the cavern, he understood immediately why Frank had said to stay quiet.

Curled against the wall, the length of a football field away from the demigods, was a huge golden bull. _Huge_, actually, didn't quite fit. Jason searched his vocabulary for the right word. _Gargantuan_ sounded about right. The bull was eighty feet tall lying down. When it stood up, it would probably be a hundred feet tall, easily. Its body was made of solid gold, except for its hooves, which glinted like steel. From its head sprouted two enormous horns, each as long as several subway cars and tapering to deadly points. The bull's eyes were closed and Jason decided he _really_ wanted them to stay that way. The bull snorted, a puff of steam shooting out of its nostrils. It was asleep.

"Holy Hephaestus," Leo breathed. Jason resisted the urge to clamp a hand over his mouth.

"Please tell me we don't have to fight that thing," Percy whispered. The idea of fighting the bull made Jason's knees weak. They wouldn't win. It would squash them like ants.

"I think we just have to get past it," Annabeth said. She pointed to a stone door set into the cavern wall directly across from them. Unfortunately, "directly across from them" was still almost a quarter mile away. "We'll have to move fast."

"Oh, goody," Leo said.

They sheathed their weapons and set off, walking briskly but trying to stay quiet. Everyone's heads kept turning, looking from the bull to the door and back again. Jason's heart was pounding so hard he hoped it didn't wake up the bull.

They were almost halfway across when it happened. Jason didn't know if they hit a trip wire or if the bull had really good hearing or maybe it was just on an automatic timer. It didn't matter. The bull opened its eyes.

For an instant, everything froze. The bull's eyes blazed like Hephaestus's forge. Jason didn't breathe. _Please don't notice us_, he thought. But they were standing, completely exposed, in the middle of the otherwise empty cavern. The bull snorted again, sending steam spiraling across the floor. Then, with a thunderous clanking noise, it got to its feet.

Frank summed up their strategy in one word. "Run."

There was no debate, no questions about "hey, maybe we should stay and fight this thing." All seven of them simply took off, sprinting for the door as the bull lowered its head and charged.

Jason had never run so fast in his life. The bull roared, its footsteps shaking the cavern floor. Jason made the mistake of glancing back and a thrill of fear shot through him. The bull was less than fifty feet away.

Up ahead, Percy slammed against the door which, thank the gods, opened. Percy disappeared through it, followed by Annabeth, Frank, and Hazel. Jason could feel steam from the bull's nostrils against the back of his neck. He shoved Piper and Leo in front of him, then barreled through the doorway. The door fell into place automatically behind him with a crash, which was good because as soon as he got through the door, Jason smashed into something in front of him. Something sharp hit him in the gut, causing the air to whoosh out of his lungs. Jason had no idea what he'd run into; it was pitch black in this room. He heard an angry roar as the bull apparently rammed its head against the stone wall, causing an earthquake that would have flung Jason off his feet if he hadn't been pinned between the door and whatever was in front of him. When the shaking subsided, he finally realized that the something in front of him was actually Piper and Leo. He was pinned so tightly between his friends and the wall that he could barely move. The sharp thing he had run into was the hilt of Piper's Boread sword. "What in Hades?"

"We're stuck." Annabeth's voice was muffled, like she was pressed against a wall. "The door didn't lead to a tunnel. This is like a broom closet or something."

"Yeah, no offense," Leo said, "but this is a little _too_ cozy."

"We can't go back the way we came," Piper said. The bull roared again and the room shook as the mountain of metal flung itself against the stone.

"There has to be another door," Annabeth insisted. "We'll just have to find a way to distract the bull or—"

"There's a door here," Percy said. There was a thumping sound, like a fist hitting wood. "But I can't get it open. There's no handle. The wood feels pretty old though."

"Maybe we can break it down," Hazel suggested.

"Maybe," Percy said. "Frank, where you at, big guy?"

"Here," Frank said.

"Not that helpful in the dark, man."

There were some scuffling noises, then Frank said, "Ow! That was my eye!"

"Oops, sorry," Percy said. "But, Frank, if you move to your right, you should be able to switch places with Annabeth and help me with this door."

More scuffling noises, accompanied by some pretty creative cursing in both Greek and English from Annabeth and Frank.

Hazel gasped. "That was my foot."

"Sorry," Annabeth said.

A _thud_ as someone hit either the door or the wall. Jason noticed that the noises from the bull had disappeared. He hoped that meant it had given up and gone back to sleep.

"I'm at the door," Frank said.

"Great," Percy replied. "On three, hit it as hard as you can. One—two—three!"

There was a _crunch_ as the door gave way and the demigods tumbled out. Jason took another hit to the gut, this time from Leo's elbow. Groaning, he managed to stand up and help Piper to her feet. Around him, the others were getting up. It was a moment before he comprehended the fact that he could see again. "Where's that light coming from?" he asked.

"No idea," Leo answered.

They were in yet another cavern, this one long and low like a subway tunnel, but as wide as an eight-lane highway. The light seemed to be coming from the sandstone walls around them, which gave off a faint glow. Running through the middle of the room was a chasm about thirty feet across. In front of them, in line with the door, was a narrow stone bridge, just wide enough to walk across. There were no railings. On the other side of the chasm, set into the far wall, was a perfectly round hole, like a sewer pipe, just big enough to crawl through.

"Well, at least if we fall, you can catch us, right, Superman?" Leo joked.

But Jason shook his head. "I don't think so. There's no wind to control." The cavern was completely still. It was eerie, like the entire room was holding its breath.

Percy glanced into the chasm. "Looks like that drop would take us straight back to Tartarus."

Annabeth shuddered. "Don't even say that."

"How deep is it?" Frank asked Hazel.

She knelt next to the chasm and pressed her hand against the rock. Her eyes narrowed. "I can't tell."

Leo shivered. "Hey, guys, is it just me or is it getting cold in here?"

Piper opened her mouth to reply, but no sound came out. Her eyes widened. She tried to talk again, but nothing happened. Jason's stomach twisted.

"Frank," he said, trying to keep his voice even, "try to change into an animal."

Frank looked at him like he was crazy. "Why?"

"Just try."

Frank concentrated, but nothing happened. His brow furrowed. "Can't do it."

"Seriously," Leo said; his teeth were chattering and his lips were turning blue, "you guys aren't cold?"

"No," Percy replied. "I could seriously use a drink though. I didn't realize I was this thirsty."

"It's the room," Jason said, sure of it now. "It's suppressing our powers."

"Wait, what?" Percy asked.

"It's targeting our specific godly powers," Jason said. "Leo's cold, you're dehydrated, Piper can't speak."

"Frank can't change form and I can't tell how deep this chasm goes," Hazel said, catching on. "We need to get out of here."

"But which way do we go? I mean, how did we get in here?" Annabeth asked, looking around. She put her face in her hands. "I can't think straight. This place is making my head spin."

Percy turned pale. "We need to _go_." He grabbed Annabeth's hand and led the way across the bridge.

Jason crossed last, behind Piper, who was following Leo. Leo was shivering so badly Jason was terrified he would lose his balance. Luckily, he made it across, but Piper made the mistake of looking down as she stepped off the bridge. Her foot slipped. For a horrible second, Jason thought she was going to fall, but he managed to catch her.

"Careful," he said, as they made it onto the solid ground on the other side. Piper nodded against his chest.

Hazel was kneeling in front of the tunnel.

"Can you sense anything?" Frank asked.

She shook her head. "Still nothing. But it's the only way out."

Hazel led the way into the tunnel. Fortunately, since they had to crawl, this tunnel went straight and at a slight upward angle, but it felt at least as long as the one they had walked down to get to the bull's cavern. Jason was starting to feel really claustrophobic when he noticed light ahead. A few minutes later, he followed his friends back out into the sunlight. As he stood up and stretched, he thought he'd never appreciated the wind in his face more than he did at that moment. It helped to push away the eerie feeling the silent room had given him. He still felt vaguely uneasy about this entire trip to Eleusis, but he pushed the feeling away. _Focus on the quest_, he reminded himself.

Jason looked up to take in his surroundings and received a jolt. They were standing on top of the hill at Eleusis. Below them were the ruins of Demeter's temple and the overhanging rock that hid the cave entrance they had come through. The others were just noticing where they were, as well.

"We're right back where we started!" Frank said.

"If you're telling me we went through all that when we could have just climbed the stupid hill—," Leo growled. Jason was annoyed, too, but he was relieved to see that his friend was no longer shivering. The effects of the cave seemed to have disappeared as soon as they left the tunnel.

"It wouldn't have worked," Hazel said. "The ruins are a magical place. We had to pass the tests. I'm betting if we'd just climbed the hill, _that_ wouldn't have appeared." She pointed to a river that was cutting across the top of the hill. On the other side of the river was a smaller hill with carved Greek pillars standing on either side of a jagged opening in the rock.

"Fantastic," Piper muttered, "another cave."

Annabeth was still staring back at the tunnel they had climbed through. "We need to go this way," Percy told her gently, gesturing toward the river.

Annabeth glared at him. "I know that now, thanks. Our powers were only suppressed in that one room. I was just thinking," she tucked her hair behind her ear, "those caverns and tunnels and the way that distance obviously didn't matter, it reminded me a lot of the Labyrinth." She looked at Hazel. "Pasiphae told you she was rebuilding it, didn't she?"

"She did," Hazel said. "But if this place is supposed to test whether people are worthy to enter Demeter's shrine, the tunnels might not be related to the Labyrinth."

"I hope so," Annabeth said. She shook her head. "Anyway, it doesn't matter right now. Let's check out the river."

* * *

The river looked completely normal. It was only about ten feet wide. The water was clear and seemed pretty shallow. Percy confirmed this by saying, "It's only about three feet deep in the middle."

"So we should be able to walk across, no problem," Piper said.

"But if this is another test, it might not be that easy," Frank pointed out. "We could get out in the middle and a sinkhole could open or, I don't know, a giant crocodile could pop up or something." He noticed the looks the others were giving him and flushed. "It could happen."

"No, you're right," Percy said. "I'll go first."

"You are the water dude," Leo said.

Percy made a face. "Okay, I can almost understand why Mr. D doesn't want to be called the 'wine dude.'"

Percy waded out into the river. The water was about a foot deep when he gasped and fell to his knees.

"Percy!" Annabeth said. She took a step forward, but Percy held up a hand, signaling that he was okay. His eyes were closed and he was gritting his teeth like he was in pain. After a minute, he opened his eyes. He was breathing hard, like he'd just run up a hill, as he got shakily to his feet.

"What happened?" Jason asked.

Percy swallowed. "You see them. Every monster or—or demigod you've killed. You see them all." He looked at his hands. "And the water burns like it's—like it's burning them away or something, if that makes any sense."

"It's part of the Eleusinian Mysteries," Annabeth said quietly. "One of the requirements is freedom from 'blood guilt,' which means you can't have committed a murder. The river is supposed to cleanse you. I'm sorry, I didn't even think about this river being related to that." She looked at Percy. "Is it like—?"

Percy nodded, his eyes dark. "Yeah, it's like that."

"Like what?" Piper asked.

Annabeth clenched her fists; possibly, Jason thought, to keep her hands from shaking. "The River Acheron," she said.

"The river of murderers," Hazel murmured. "It flows into Tartarus, doesn't it?"

Annabeth nodded. She didn't elaborate, but judging from her expression, Jason guessed the experience hadn't been pleasant.

As Percy climbed out on the opposite bank, Leo clapped his hands. "So, who's next to take a dip in the river of traumatic memories?"

Annabeth immediately stepped into the water. Like Percy, she fell to her knees about a quarter of the way across. When she stood back up, her face was white. She stumbled to the bank, where Percy caught her. Annabeth said something, but the only word Jason heard was, "Luke."

"Yeah, I know," Percy said.

Hazel took a deep breath and stepped into the stream. The water had barely reached her ankles when she collapsed, shivering, on her hands and knees. Tears were streaming down her face as she stood, but she managed to make it across. "I saw my mother," Hazel whispered.

"That wasn't your fault," Frank said fiercely.

Hazel just shook her head. Annabeth hugged her.

Frank stepped into the stream. He made it almost halfway across before he dropped to one knee. When he stood up, his face was tinged slightly green, but he climbed onto the opposite shore. He wrapped his arms around Hazel, who was still shaking.

"Better get this over with," Piper murmured. She squeezed Jason's hand and stepped into the river. She, too, made it almost halfway across before falling to her hands and knees with a splash. A shiver ran through her, but when she got to her feet, her mouth was set in a firm line.

Jason stepped into the water as Piper climbed onto the opposite bank. The water was almost to his knees when he felt it start to burn, like the river had suddenly become boiling hot. He dropped to his knees as images began to race in front of his eyes. He relived killing the Trojan sea monster, Krios on Mount Othrys, Enceladus last winter in San Francisco, _ventus_ after _ventus_ after _ventus_, monsters from the army in the House of Hades, and a hundred other different monsters and evil creatures.

He didn't feel especially bad about any of the monsters' deaths (after all, each of them had been trying very hard to murder him at the time), but it was disturbing to watch himself kill again and again and again. The images left a sick feeling deep in the pit of his stomach. The feeling stayed even as the images faded and he was able to get to his feet and make his way onto the riverbank to join his friends.

Alone on the other side, Leo squared his shoulders and walked in. The water had barely reached his ankles when he, like Hazel, collapsed onto his hands and knees. His eyes were clenched tightly shut and he gave a small, dry sob. When he stood up, his fingers were trembling.

"I'm not feeling particularly cleansed, how about you guys?" Leo muttered as he flopped onto the riverbank. Jason held out a hand to help him up. "Thanks, man," Leo said. He looked at Hazel. "I saw my mom, too. The night she died in the fire that I started. The fire _Gaea_," he spat the earth goddess's name like a disgusting swear word, "tricked me into starting."

Hazel gave Leo a hug. "We're going to make her pay," she promised.

"Yeah, we are," Percy said, his jaw clenched tight. "Let's go get that weapon."

* * *

Hazel led the way to the cave entrance. Whereas the other entrances had looked like doors or been perfectly round, the entrance to this cave was a jagged slash, like the rock had been struck by something and cracked. The marble pillars on either side, though, looked pristine, as if they'd been newly constructed. Everything about this doorway set off alarms in Jason's head, but he had no idea why. Then, when Hazel tried to walk into the cave, she bounced back with enough force that Frank stumbled when he caught her.

"I can't get through," Hazel said as Frank set her back on her feet. She pressed her hands against the air. Jason followed her example. It was like pushing against a wall, only there was nothing there, at least not that he could see.

"There's a barrier here," he said.

"Let the master take a look," Leo said. But when he went to push against the barrier, he stumbled forward, passing through it with no problem. "What the heck?"

"How'd you get through?" Piper asked.

"No clue," Leo said, looking baffled.

"Well, at least we know it's possible," Jason said.

"Yeah, except, um," Leo pounded his fist against the empty air like it was a wall, "I can't get back out."

* * *

*****Once again, Chapter 14 featuring Leo's POV will be up by Friday!*****


	14. Chapter 14: Leo

*****Thanks again to everyone who has reviewed or added this story to their follows/favorites! Here is Chapter 14, from Leo's POV, which is seriously fun to write. Chapter 15, from Frank's POV, will be up by Monday, April 28.*** **

**XIV. LEO**

Once again, Leo made the mistake of being simply too good. He should have learned his lesson in Rome when he'd discovered the lock and tunnel in the Pantheon. Now, he was stuck behind an invisible barrier, completely cut off from his friends. And, not to sound like a wimp, but he really didn't want to go down the creepy new tunnel of doom by himself.

As it turned out, he didn't have to. Piper and Annabeth both passed through the barrier as if it wasn't there. Unfortunately, like Leo, neither of them could get out again.

"Is this another test?" Leo asked, pushing with all his weight against the barrier, which did nothing. "Because if so, I think we're failing."

"Of course!" Annabeth said suddenly. "It _is_ a test. This was another part of the Eleusinian Mysteries. Only Greeks can go into the temple."

"But I'm Greek," Percy protested. "Why can't I get through the barrier?"

"It's the tattoo," Annabeth said. "The barrier won't let someone pass with a Roman tattoo."

"Oh." Percy looked like he'd been smacked between the eyes. "Okay. I—I guess that makes sense."

"Good thing you two have the chest and the basket," Frank said to Piper and Annabeth.

"Yeah, that's lucky," Leo said. He caught Jason's eye and knew they were thinking the same thing—that maybe it wasn't luck, maybe, like with the cornucopia, someone was pulling the strings. But whether it was Hera or Gaea, Leo decided he didn't like being manipulated.

"We'll wait for you guys here," Jason said.

"Thanks for worrying about me, bro," Leo said, grinning. Jason rolled his eyes.

"There's no point in all of you staying, though," Piper said. "We could be gone a while. Someone should check on the ship."

Hazel glanced over her shoulder toward the bay where the _Argo II_ was anchored. "Why don't Frank and I go check on the ship? We can make sure it's ready to go in case we need to make a quick getaway. Then Percy and Jason can stay here and wait for you guys to come back."

"That works," Percy said. Frank nodded in agreement.

"Alright, fire guy," Piper said to Leo. "Lead the way."

"Yes, ma'am." Leo summoned a handful of fire for light, then ducked through the jagged entrance and into the tunnel.

* * *

Leo's fire could only do so much. It was bright enough to see, but not bright enough to see very far, and without Hazel's flawless underground senses, Leo kept running into the walls every time the tunnel twisted and turned. Which it did every few feet.

"Can we just get to the end already?" he muttered.

As if the tunnel were saying, "Well, you asked for it, buddy," when Leo came around the next curve, he saw a rectangular doorway straight ahead. He extinguished the fire in his hand as they crept closer to the door. There was a low rasp as Piper and Annabeth drew their swords. Leo patted his toolbelt, which was still securely fastened at his waist, then moved cautiously into the doorway until he could look out and see—nothing.

The tunnel opened into a small, rounded room, almost like a grotto. In the center of the room was a stone altar with two torches in heavy-looking candle holders on either side. That was it.

"Huh," Leo said. "That's anti-climactic."

"Don't complain," Piper said as the three of them walked towards the altar. "I was expecting a monster."

"Then you're in luck," a cold voice said.

* * *

The woman was standing in front of the doorway they had just come through, blocking their only escape route. She was wearing a long, silver dress and a matching veil that hid her face. The effect creeped Leo out; she looked like a faceless ghost. Then, she raised her veil and Annabeth gasped.

"You recognize me?" The woman was clearly a goddess, she was beautiful, but her eyes were as cold and hard as diamonds. Leo had absolutely no idea who she was, but Annabeth seemed to understand.

"You look like them," Annabeth said.

"Like who?" the goddess hissed, her eyes turning frostbite cold. "Say their names."

From her tone of voice, Leo didn't think saying these names sounded like a great idea, but Annabeth said, "Artemis and Apollo. Your children. You're Leto."

"_My children_," Leto said. "Nasty, ungrateful brats who did nothing to stop Hera from torturing me. But Gaea has promised me revenge on Zeus's queen. And on Zeus himself, for abandoning me."

"Koios recruited you," Annabeth said. Her voice shook, but her sword was steady as she raised it. "We heard him in Tartarus, saying you would join the fight against the gods."

"And my father was correct," Leto said. "But first, Gaea has asked me to prevent you from taking Demeter's weapon. As spiteful Hera was the one who arranged your little quest, I informed the earth mother that I would be happy to destroy you."

"That's a little harsh," Leo said.

"You would fight against your own children?" Piper asked. "That's horrible!"

Leto's eyes widened and Leo saw the spark of insanity in them. Her voice was dangerously soft as she said, "Horrible? You want to talk to me about horrible? Hera cursed me because I was loved by Zeus. She forbade me from having my children anywhere on the earth. It was only when I found the floating island of Delos that my children were able to be born. I have _suffered_, demigods. Because of Hera. But have my children ever taken revenge on that wretched goddess? No. They sit in council with her on Olympus. They care nothing for the pain of their mother. So I will care nothing for their pain when Gaea destroys Olympus forever."

"You should win an award," Leo said. "Most Cheerful Goddess."

Leto hissed like an angry cat. "I am not a goddess, fool. I am a Titan. And you are about to die."

She raised her hands and two giant scorpions appeared on either side of her. Their barbed tails curved over their backs, dripping poison that sizzled against the stone floor. Leo decided he didn't want to be stung by one of those things.

"I would love to watch you die painfully," Leto said, "but I have business elsewhere. And remember, demigods, when you reach the Underworld, it is Hera who is to blame for your demise." And on that happy note, she disappeared in a flash of silver light.

"We've trained for this," Annabeth said. Her voice was calm, which was not the emotion Leo was experiencing as the ten-foot-long scorpions advanced on them. "We can handle these things. Leo, distract one. I'll distract the other and Piper, you sneak around and cut off their tails. That will take away their main weapon and then we should be able to kill them."

The scorpions darted forward. Leo and Annabeth dove out of the way as Piper dodged between the monsters. Leo couldn't believe the scorpions didn't turn on her, but apparently they weren't very smart. One went after Annabeth and the other came after Leo. He backed away slowly, keeping his eyes fixed on the scorpion's beady black eyes and watching its barbed stinger in his peripheral vision.

"Nice scorpion," he said softly. Slowly, he reached into his toolbelt. Immediately, the tool he wanted was in his hand. Leo clutched the glass bottle; he would only get one shot at this. "You're from the desert, you like heat, right? Try this!"

Leo threw the glass bottle of gasoline at the scorpion and immediately rolled to the side as the tail struck right where he had been standing, leaving a three-foot-deep crater in the floor. The glass shattered, spilling gasoline all over the floor beneath the scorpion and soaking its underbelly. Leo quickly shot a couple fireballs from his hands and the gas ignited. The scorpion gave a high-pitched squeal as the flames engulfed it, then it exploded into fiery chunks of monster dust.

"Ugh," Leo said, brushing the burning dust off his arms and shirt. The flames were already dying as the gasoline was used up. He heard a shout and turned just in time to see Annabeth duck and plunge her sword into the other scorpion as Piper cut off its tail. That scorpion, too, burst into golden dust.

Leo walked over to the girls. "Leto's going to be disappointed."

Annabeth snorted. "If she really wanted us dead, she should have stuck around to make sure the scorpions killed us."

"Glad she didn't, though," Leo said.

"This," Piper said, wiping monster dust off her sword before sheathing it, "has been a very long day."

"It has," Annabeth agreed. She frowned. "Actually, it really has. We got to the ruins about eight this morning, right?"

"Yeah," Leo said. "And?"

"Well, when we got back out on the hill, it looked like late afternoon. We weren't in the tunnels that long."

"Time moves differently in magical places, though," Piper pointed out. "And even if we spend all day in Eleusis, it's only July 23rd. We still have plenty of time to get to Athens."

"Which is only about fifteen miles away," Leo added.

"Yeah," Annabeth said, though she still looked uneasy, "yeah, you're right."

"Let's check out this altar," Piper said.

The three of them approached the altar. It was a long, low marble slab, carved with a frieze that depicted Demeter doing things like teaching a guy Leo assumed was Triptolemus (the dude Frank, Hazel, and Nico met in Venice) how to farm properly and searching for her daughter, Persephone, when she was kidnapped by Hades. The torches set in the metal holders on either side of the altar were shaped like ears of corn, which Leo thought was an odd choice. But then, he wasn't big into farming.

Piper had taken the _kalathos_ basket out of her bag and was holding it uncertainly. "Should we set these on the altar?"

"I guess," Annabeth said. She got out the _kiste_ chest. Together, she and Piper placed them on the altar.

And nothing happened.

"Okay," Leo said. "What's Plan B?"

"Helen said we should wait to open these until we were in front of Demeter's altar," Piper said. "We're in front of the altar now. Maybe we should open them."

"This isn't going to be like _Raiders of the Lost Ark_, is it?" Leo asked. "You know, we open these boxes and golden light comes out and melts our faces?"

Annabeth took a deep breath. "Let's hope not."

"On three," Piper said. "One—two—three."

She and Annabeth flipped open the containers and all three of them instinctively cringed. Fortunately, no face-melting light came out, but when he looked into the boxes, Leo was a little let down. The _kiste_ chest contained some small, random looking objects, while the _kalathos_ basket was empty.

"Maybe we should light the torches," Annabeth suggested. "We could use the extra light to see if there's a clue about what to do next on the frieze or something."

"Oh, I wouldn't recommend that," a new voice said.

Leo, Piper, and Annabeth whipped around as another woman appeared from the tunnel doorway. But this woman was wearing a golden dress and had dark hair piled on top of her head and held in place with wheat stalks.

"Demeter," Annabeth said.

"Indeed." The goddess smiled as she approached them. "You have done well to retrieve my _kiste _and _kalathos_. It has been far too long since they have sat upon my altar here. Now, the only thing left to do is move the objects from the chest into the basket. When you have done that, you will unlock the weapon."

"That's all we have to do?" Leo asked incredulously.

"You've passed my tests," Demeter said. "The hard part is over. Now, daughter of Athena, you first."

Annabeth reached her hand into the chest and pulled out a golden snake, which formed a circle because it was swallowing its own tail. "The Ouroboros. It represents immortality and rejuvenation."

Demeter nodded. "Correct. Much like plants, which grow and die and leave behind their seeds to grow again." Annabeth placed the snake into the basket and Demeter looked at Leo. "You next, son of Hephaestus."  
Leo stuck his hand in the chest and pulled out the first thing he touched, which was a small, speckled egg. "Is this a 'which came first, the chicken or the egg' thing?"

"Actually, yes." Demeter raised her eyebrows, looking impressed. "The egg, like the Ouroboros, is a symbol of rejuvenation and continuation."

"Cool," Leo said, setting the egg gently in the basket, in the center of the serpent ring.

"Now you, daughter of Aphrodite," Demeter said.

Piper pulled a much stranger object than a snake or an egg from the chest.

Leo cleared his throat. "Okay, that looks like—you know what, I'm actually not going to say what body part that looks like."

"Please don't," Piper said. Her face was bright red as she quickly transferred the object into the basket with the serpent and the egg.

"These are all symbols of fertility and longevity, children," Demeter said calmly. "No reason to be embarrassed."

"I disagree," Leo muttered.

"And the final items." Demeter gestured to Annabeth.

Looking a little nervous now, Annabeth reached into the chest again. She frowned. After a moment, she lifted her closed fist from the basket. She opened her hand to reveal six small seeds. "Pomegranate seeds?" Annabeth asked. "To represent Persephone?"  
Demeter's face puckered like she'd just bitten into a lemon. "To remind me of the months when my daughter is kept locked away from me in the Underworld. But also to remind me of the time when she will return and the flowers will grow again."

Annabeth tipped the seeds into the basket. Piper closed the lid.

"Now what?" Leo asked.

"Now," Demeter said, "you may take the torches."

Leo thought he had misheard her. "That's the great weapon? Corn-cob shaped torches?"

"Impressive, aren't they?" Demeter said, completely serious. "With these, you will strike fear into the hearts of Gaea and her giants."

_Or they'll die from laughing at us_, Leo thought, but he wisely kept his mouth shut as Piper and Annabeth each plucked one of the torches out of the candle holders.

"Thank you, my lady," Annabeth said. She zipped the torch into her backpack and Piper followed suit.

"You are welcome. But be warned, they will only work once. Do not light them until the end."

"How will we know it's the end?" Piper asked.

Demeter looked at her solemnly. "Because you will be out of all other options."

Leo gulped. Piper and Annabeth looked pale. "That sounds promising," Leo said.

"Don't give up," Demeter told them. "There is still time to stop Gaea and her sons. But you must work together." Suddenly, her form changed. A wreath of gold leaves appeared in her hair and her dress changed to white with a golden belt—Leo realized this must be her appearance as Ceres, her Roman form. The goddess pressed her fingertips to her head and then resumed her original form, with the gold dress and wheat stalks in her dark hair. "I have spent too much time here. I must return to Olympus. But I can give you one final warning: Be careful when you exit the tunnel. You won't like what you find on the other end. Farewell, demigods. And good luck."

They averted their eyes as Demeter disappeared in a flash of light.

"What does she mean we won't like what we find on the other end?" Leo asked.

"I don't know," Annabeth said. "But we need to get back to the others _now_."

Without another word, the three of them ran for the tunnel, making their way back through the darkness as quickly as they could, terrified of what they might find when the tunnel ended.


	15. Chapter 15: Frank

*****Here's Chapter 15, hope you enjoy reading it! Chapter 16, featuring Percy's POV, will be up Monday, April 28. Have a great weekend!*****

**XV. FRANK**

The last thing Frank expected to see when he and Hazel returned to the _Argo II _was someone else on board the ship. Yet there the man was, standing near the mast and frowning at the rigging.

Hazel froze. "I thought Leo said the ship would be hidden from anyone else while we were gone."

Frank bit back a curse. If this man had gotten through the cloaking devices Leo had installed, that meant he was probably a pretty powerful immortal, which Frank really didn't feel like dealing with at the moment.

He studied the man, who didn't seem to have noticed Frank and Hazel's appearance. The man was dressed in khaki pants and a polo shirt. For a moment, Frank thought his eyes were playing tricks on him, but then he realized the man's shirt was gradually changing colors, from pale blue to deep navy to light green to stormy gray and back to blue. He had a long, tangled white beard and hair, which made him look almost like a wizard, but Frank suspected he was a god.

Before Frank could decide what to do, Hazel took a step forward and said, "Excuse me, sir? Can we help you?"

The man turned around. There was something vaguely familiar about him, but it took Frank a moment to figure out what it was. Then, with a jolt, he realized that the man's sea-green eyes were exactly like Percy's. "Poseidon?"

The god's eyes flashed. "That was my name once. Back when I was favored by the Greeks. But no more. I am Neptune."

Frank gulped. From what Percy had said, his dad, Poseidon, was a pretty cool guy. But Neptune, Poseidon's Roman form, was a much different god. He was more angry and vengeful, reflecting the Roman's fears about the sea. Frank wasn't sure why the god was here, but he doubted it was to deliver good news.

Neptune's eyes narrowed as he looked at Frank. "You are a praetor of Rome, correct?"

Frank almost said no, before remembering that yes, in fact, he was. "Yes, I am."

"And a son of Mars Ultor?"

"Yeah."

Neptune nodded as if he approved. "Good, then I believe I can entrust you to carry a message from me to my son."

"Percy Jackson?" Hazel asked.

Neptune stared at Hazel for a long moment, then he snorted. "One of Pluto's brood," he muttered. "Yes, child of the Underworld, I have a message for my son Percy Jackson." He turned back to Frank. His sea-green eyes were piercing. "How do you put to sleep that which is not awake?"

"Is that like a riddle or something?" Frank asked.

A wave rose up and smacked the side of the ship, causing Frank and Hazel to stumble forward. "No, boy, that is my message," Neptune boomed. There was a flash and a trident appeared in his hand, blue-green energy buzzing around it. "I will repeat myself one more time. How do you put to sleep that which is not awake?"

"How do you put to sleep that which is not awake?" Frank repeated. "That's the message for Percy?"

"It is," Neptune said. The sea settled, though the trident was still in the god's hand. "Make sure that he receives it. He will understand."

"I'll tell him," Frank promised.

"Good. Then I will take my leave. Farewell, son of Mars." Frank and Hazel averted their eyes as, without another word, Neptune disappeared in a flash of light.

They stood in silence for a moment, then Hazel took a shaky breath. "Well, that was an eventful return to the ship."

Frank gave a small laugh. "And here I thought we'd gotten the easy job." He looked at Hazel. "But 'How do you put to sleep that which is not awake?' What the heck is that supposed to mean?"

She shook her head. "I have no idea. Do you think Percy really will understand it?"

"I hope so," Frank said. He glanced at the sky. It was late afternoon. "I wonder how long the others will be gone."

"No idea." Hazel sighed. "Come on, we'd better get the ship ready, just in case we need to make a quick escape when they get back.

* * *

By the time the sun set, Frank and Hazel, with a little help from Festus, had the ship ready to depart. The problem was, there was still no sign of their friends.

"Should it have taken them this long?" Frank asked nervously as the sun sank into the sea.

Hazel bit her lip. "You could fly over the ruins," she suggested. "Maybe see if they're on their way back."

"Good idea," Frank said.

"Just be careful," Hazel added. "And come get me if there's a problem."

"I will." Frank gave her a quick kiss, then changed into an eagle. Within a minute, he was soaring over the ruins, but there was no sign of the other demigods. He circled over the hilltop, even landed on the steeple of a church there, but there was no river and no caves. Apparently, that place only existed after passing through Demeter's tests. He flew back down to the cave behind Demeter's temple, but realized he had no cornucopia to get through the door. Discouraged, Frank made one last pass over the ruins, but after seeing nothing, he flew back to Hazel on the _Argo II_.

"Did you see them?" she asked as soon as he changed back into himself.

Frank shook his head. "Nothing. But I'm sure they'll be back," he added hastily.

Hazel's brow furrowed, but she managed a weak smile. "Of course they will." She sat down next to the mast. "We'll just have to wait a little bit."

Frank sat down next to her. They were quiet for a few minutes, watching the stars come out.

"It almost feels like we're on guard duty at Camp Jupiter," Hazel said.

"We could practice our French again," Frank suggested.

"Didn't our last conversation in French involve a question about a shoe being green and how the beef was feeling?"

Frank shrugged. "Obviously we could use the practice."

Hazel laughed. She reached over and squeezed his hand. "I think it's a lost cause."

Silence fell between them and Frank found his mind drifting to his visit with Periclymenus. He didn't believe what the man had said about Hazel being only a spirit and not truly alive. She _felt_ alive, sitting next to him warm and solid, not ghostly like Phineas had seemed in Portland or the shades of Roman soldiers in Alaska or the House of Hades. Then he remembered his ancestor saying, "Our fates are not set in stone," when talking about Frank's own curse, the stick of firewood that determined his lifespan.

"What are you thinking so hard about?" Hazel asked. Her golden eyes glowed in the moonlight as she looked up at him.

Frank had to swallow before he could answer her. "Just thinking about something Periclymenus said. Do you think our fates are set in stone?"

Hazel rested her chin on her knees, looking out at the lights of Eleusis in the harbor. "I wish I knew. The first time I met my father, he said I'd been born too soon. But then my mother took me to Alaska and I died to stop Gaea. I like to think that was my choice, but sometimes I wonder if that's true, because if I hadn't died then, I wouldn't be here now. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah. So you want to know what happened because of the choice you made and what happened because it was fated to happen?"

"Or did the Fates know what my choice would be, so even though I made the decision, it was still exactly what was supposed to happen?" Hazel shook her head, then smiled at Frank. "This is a really philosophical discussion."

Frank smiled sheepishly. "Sorry."

"You don't have to apologize," Hazel said. "You were thinking about your firewood, right?"

Frank nodded. "Iris and my dad both said my life would burn bright and short. But Periclymenus said that our fates aren't set in stone. And apparently Percy met a Titan and a giant who changed their fates."

"Seriously?" Hazel asked.

"That's what he said. I guess I'm just hoping—"

"That it's true," Hazel said quietly. "That you can determine your own fate."

"Periclymenus said when the time comes, the choice will be mine." Frank's throat felt dry as he said this. "I just hope I make the right decision."

"Trust me, when the time comes, you'll make the right choice," Hazel told him. Frank met her eyes and recalled that she had already sacrificed her life once to stop Gaea. The thought gave him courage. If Hazel had been able to make that decision, then he could, too.

Hazel kissed him and Frank decided that whether it was fate or not, he was really glad they were together.

Hazel leaned her head against Frank's shoulder. They were still holding hands. Together, they watched the moon rise over the hills and waited for their friends to come back.

* * *

Frank woke to sunlight piercing his eyes. He was stiff from sitting against the mast all night. Hazel's head was on his shoulder and she was breathing slowly, still asleep. He had to admit, that was a nice way to wake up. What was less nice was the realization that came to him as he looked around the silent ship. He shook Hazel's shoulder gently. "Hazel, wake up!"

She blinked, then yawned and sat up. "Frank, what's wrong?"  
"Listen," he said.

The _Argo II _was as quiet as a ghost ship. The only sounds were the occasional creak from Festus, the waves lapping against the hull, and their own breathing.

Hazel's eyes widened. "Oh gods, the others—."

Frank nodded, fear clenching his stomach in a vise. "They never came back last night."


	16. Chapter 16: Percy

*****Hi all! So this is a really short chapter, but I hope you enjoy reading it. I promise the next two are much longer and have more action. Chapter 17, featuring Piper's POV, will be up Wednesday, April 30 and Chapter 18, featuring Annabeth's POV, will be up Friday, May 2. Thanks for reading and, once again, I'm not Rick Riordan, I'm just borrowing the characters for a bit.*****

**XVI. PERCY**

Percy hated waiting. For one thing, he was ADHD, which meant sitting still wasn't one of his strengths. But more than that, he liked action. At least in a fight, he knew where he stood. But waiting for a fight or, worse, waiting for someone else to come back from their own battle, was torture. Especially when it was Annabeth he was waiting for.

Percy remembered other times he'd had to wait for Annabeth to come back from something dangerous—when she'd visited the old oracle of Delphi in the attic a few summers ago, when she'd led a raid on a monster stronghold during the Titan war, most recently when she'd gone to meet Helen and Paris, and, of course, when she'd gone on her Mark of Athena quest. Considering that last one had gone epically wrong, even for them, when they'd fallen into Tartarus, Percy felt he was justified in being worried about her. He knew better than anybody that she was completely capable of taking care of herself, but still, he preferred being there to watch her back. Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to enter the cave.

_The barrier won't let someone pass with a Roman tattoo_.

Percy examined the tattoo on his forearm, the symbol of Poseidon, or Neptune, whichever, with the single line underneath representing his first year of service. He'd never been resentful of the tattoo. To him, it represented belonging at Camp Jupiter and in New Rome and what that could mean for his, and Annabeth's, future. But he had never considered the fact that it might mean he didn't completely belong with the Greek demigods anymore.

"You alright, man?" Jason asked. He was sitting on the grass a few feet away from Percy, also watching the mouth of the cave their girlfriends—and Leo—had disappeared into.

"Just questioning my identity," Percy replied. "No big deal."

Jason laughed ruefully. "Been there. It was kind of a blow when the centurion ghosts wouldn't listen to me in the House of Hades. Apparently I'm not fully Roman anymore."

"And I'm not completely Greek, according to that stupid door," Percy said, gesturing to the offending entryway.

"Is that a bad thing, though?" Jason asked. "Why can't we belong both places? I mean, even though Camp Jupiter was my home for so long, I _like_ Camp Half-Blood."

"Camp Half-Blood basically _is _my home, but yeah, I liked Camp Jupiter, too" Percy admitted. "And—and New Rome."

Jason's blue eyes were piercing and for a moment Percy was strongly reminded of Thalia when she was trying to extract information from him. But Jason didn't press him about New Rome. He just said, "There has to be a way to make peace between the camps. If Reyna, Nico, and Hedge can get the statue back, it's got to help."

"They'll manage it," Percy said. "Reyna's pretty tough. So is Nico."

Jason gave him a sideways glance that Percy couldn't interpret, but before he could ask what that was about, Jason said, "Do you still have that bad feeling about Eleusis?"

Percy hadn't thought about it much since they'd entered the first tunnel; he'd been too busy running from the giant bull, getting trapped in a closet, panicking in that weirdly silent room that drained their powers, and reliving some seriously craptastic memories in that stupid river to worry about any other weird feelings. But now he focused and realized the ominous feeling was still there, like a buzzing in his ears that made his heart race and his stomach churn.

"Yep," he said. "Still getting a really bad vibe from this place. You?"

Jason nodded. "Weird that it's just you and me, though. I wondered if it had something to do with the storm part of the prophecy. I mean, everyone kind of assumes that part is referring to either you or me."

"So maybe Gaea has a plan to go ahead and remove us from the equation while we're here?"

"Maybe."

Percy _really_ didn't like that idea, especially since it sounded plausible. "If we hadn't already killed Polybotes again, I'd think it was him waiting for me here. Unless it's that giant king guy who's supposed to replace your dad."

"Porphyrion is the leader of Gaea's armies. I doubt he'd leave Athens just to kill us. We're not that special," Jason said with a dry smile. "Have you personally irritated any other monsters?"  
"I have personally irritated an army's worth of monsters," Percy said. "I'm assuming you have, too."

"It's possible," Jason admitted. "What was it you said, though, about Polybotes and the other 'defeated ones' tracking you guys through Tartarus?"

An unpleasantly familiar voice spoke from behind them. "He probably said something about how these so-called 'defeated ones' were waiting to get revenge on you lackluster demigods for _completely ruining their show_!"

Percy and Jason both whipped around. All Percy got was a glimpse of a tattered leotard before something hit him on the head and the world went black.


	17. Chapter 17: Piper

*****Thanks again for the reviews/follows/favorites, you guys rock! Hope you enjoy Chapter 17 here, from Piper's POV. Chapter 18, featuring Annabeth's POV, will be up Friday, May 2. Also, disclaimer, Percy and Co. belong to Rick Riordan, who is not me.*****

**XVII. PIPER**

Piper's heart felt like it was in her throat as she, Leo, and Annabeth made their way as fast as they could back through the twisting tunnel. Demeter's words were echoing in Piper's ears.

_You won't like what you find on the other end._

Jason was on the other end of the tunnel. And Percy. And Frank and Hazel, who had gone back to the ship.

_You won't like what you find on the other end_.

Oh gods, just let the others be okay.

The tunnel began to get lighter. They came around another turn and Piper could see the jagged entrance to the tunnel ahead. The three of them slowed to a stop. Piper and Annabeth drew their swords. Leo pulled a hammer that must have weighed ten pounds from his tool belt. Together, they crept toward the entrance. Piper's ears were straining for any noise from outside the tunnel, but there was nothing.

Piper reached the jagged door in the rock and peered out. The hillside was empty; there was nothing to be seen except the river, gurgling cheerily. Then realization struck and Piper's stomach turned over. The hillside was empty.

Judging by their stricken faces, Leo and Annabeth had noticed the same thing.

"Where are Percy and Jason?" Annabeth whispered.

Piper shook her head. "Maybe—maybe they went back to the ship."

"Yeah, right," Leo said. "Like they'd leave with you two here." When Piper and Annabeth both shot him a look, he raised his eyebrows. "It's only the truth."

Piper knew he was right. Jason and Percy wouldn't have left with the three of them still in the tunnel unless something was wrong. "We've got to find them."

"The only hiding place is against the cave," Annabeth whispered. "We could see someone anywhere else on the hill. Be prepared for an attack from behind."

"What about the barrier?" Piper asked. "Will we even be able to get out?"

Annabeth hesitated. "I'm guessing it disappeared when we returned the _kiste _and _kalathos _to Demeter's altar."

"Only one way to find out," Leo said grimly, tightening his grip on his hammer. "Let's go."

The three of them burst out of the tunnel. Thankfully, the invisible barrier was gone. Piper immediately turned around—and froze. "_You_."

"Me," Ephialtes said. The giant's voice was calm but there was a crazed smile on his face. He had an arm hooked around Jason's neck. Piper's heart thudded. Jason looked unconscious, his head lolling on Ephialtes's arm. Otis, wearing a tattered baby-blue leotard and looking grumpy, was standing a few feet away from his brother, holding Percy up by the back of his t-shirt. Percy, too, had been knocked out. "It's wonderful to see you again, Piper McLean. I hope that this time you'll be more open to playing your part in our performance."

"Not a chance," Piper said through gritted teeth. "Let them go!"

Ephialtes just laughed. Otis continued to look grumpy. "You're going to make up for ruining our show in Rome. Your deaths are being streamed live to Hephaestus TV, channel 192." He pointed to a camera set up on a tripod with a satellite dish attached.

"It's only a pay-per-view channel," Otis grumbled.

Ephialtes glared at him. "Yes, and we get five percent on every purchase, you nitwit. Don't you know how many monsters, and gods, are going to tune in to see Hera's little hand-picked team meet a well-choreographed demise?"

"Yeah, that's not happening," Annabeth said.

"Does my dad know you're doing this?" Leo asked. "Isn't he in charge of Hephaestus TV?"

"We may have pirated some equipment," Ephialtes said, waving a hand carelessly. "Besides, Hephaestus won't be in charge much longer. Gaea has promised that when she rises, _we_ will take over the airwaves."

Otis perked up. "And I can have a twenty-four hour ballet channel, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, it'll be part of the sports package," Ephialtes said. He turned back to the demigods with a manic gleam in his eyes. "Once we kill you all, we'll collect Frank Zhang and Hazel Levesque from your ship. They'll be the Earth Mother's sacrifice, which will be the official first broadcast of our new brand, Big F TV!"

"I thought you said we could call it the O Network?" Otis said.  
"Oprah already took that," Ephialtes snapped. He hitched a grin back on his face as he looked at Piper. "Now, daughter of Aphrodite, I believe you asked me to let these heroes go?" He shook Jason, who was as limp as a ragdoll. "I suppose I can do that. Now, Otis!"  
Before Piper could move, Ephialtes threw Jason at her. His dead weight slammed into her, knocking them both to the ground. Otis sighed and flung Percy into the river before pressing the play button on an enormous boombox, which exploded with the tinny sound of off-key trumpets.

"No!" Ephialtes wailed. "I told you 'Track 12,' not 'Track 8.'"

Otis didn't get a chance to reply as Leo leapt forward and swung his hammer into Otis's gut. The giant doubled over with a loud, "Oof!"

Annabeth charged at Ephialtes, meeting his spear strikes with her drakon bone sword and trying to get close enough to stab him.

Piper struggled to get up, but Jason was a lot heavier than her. Finally, she managed to roll him onto the ground. His eyes were just beginning to flutter open. She grabbed a square of ambrosia from her backpack and stuffed it unceremoniously into his mouth. After making sure he wasn't choking, she got to her feet. Her stomach dropped when she saw Percy floating face down in the river, but before she could even take a step in that direction, Percy coughed and twisted in the water. He sat down on the river bottom, looking dazed. Next to her, Jason was groaning and trying to sit up. Piper moved to help him when she heard a strangled yell.

Otis had wrested the hammer out of Leo's hand and as Piper watched, horrified, the giant did some kind of ballet jump and kicked Leo squarely in the chest. He flew across the hillside and slammed into the grass. She ran towards him, but turned when she heard a shriek of pain.

Ephialtes had caught Annabeth by the arm, bending it behind her back. He twisted her wrist, forcing her to drop her sword. The point of his spear was at her throat. "Looks like you'll be our first victim, daughter of Athena. When Alcyoneous takes over the Underworld, he'll toss you right back into Tartarus. Nyx has personally demanded a little reunion with you. If you're lucky, it might even make Big F TV." He raised his spear.

Percy and Jason were both struggling to get up. Leo was barely moving. Piper was too far away. Ephialtes turned to face the camera. He grinned, like this was all a great show and not sick and twisted.

Something in Piper snapped. All of her fear and anger suddenly boiled over in a hot ball of rage. "STOP IT!"

She wasn't even sure she'd used charmspeak, but suddenly the entire hillside froze. Then Ephialtes smiled, slowly and horribly. "Fine, Piper McLean. You can be the first to die, instead." He twisted Annabeth's arm again. There was an awful crack and Annabeth screamed. Ephialtes threw her down, hard, into the grass. Her arm was bent at a sickening angle.

Fury rose like bile in Piper's throat. "That's enough!" she yelled as Ephialtes approached her. She didn't wait for the giant to get any closer, though. Piper charged forward and swung her sword with all her strength.

Ephialtes blocked her strike with the butt of his spear. She spun and stabbed at him again. They continued to exchange blows. Piper was trying to remember everything Hazel had taught her in their sword-fighting lessons. She tried to get inside the reach of Ephialtes's spear, but the giant was fast. He swung the spear like a baseball bat and caught Piper in the shoulder, sending her reeling backward. Her sword arm was numb from the blow.

Ephialtes was breathing hard. "A good fight, little demigod," he said. "Very entertaining. But now, it's time to finish this. We're on a schedule. I only booked a half-hour show. Otis," he called over to his brother, "finish the son of Hephaestus."

Otis was standing a few feet from Leo, who had managed to get to his hands and knees. The giant looked put out. "I've told you, deaths choreographed to _Swan Lake _or _Coppelia_ would look so much more—"

"_Enough_ with the ballet!" Ephialtes screamed.

Piper took a step forward. She couldn't lift her sword, but she had another weapon that didn't require her to move her arm: her voice. "You won't hurt them."

Ephialtes sneered. "Watch me."

Piper took a deep breath. She tapped into everything she felt for her friends, for Jason, her memories of the good times they had all spent together. She poured all her power into her words. "You will not hurt the people I love. Never again. I won't let you."

For a moment, Ephialtes stood still as the power of her charmspeak washed over him. His eyes glazed over and the spear point dipped toward the ground as his arm went slack. "Won't—hurt—them," he muttered. Then he blinked and his eyes cleared. "You're powerful, girl. Maybe I can't hurt your friends. But you never said I couldn't kill you." He raised his spear and plunged it into Piper's stomach.

The world seemed to slow down as pain swept through Piper. She fell to her knees, arms wrapped around her stomach. Ephialtes grinned. He raised his spear to strike again and Piper prepared to die. She wanted to lift her sword, her knife, even the cornucopia could help, but she had no strength left.

Suddenly, Percy hurtled out of nowhere and rammed Ephialtes, knocking the giant's spear out of his hand. Percy rolled out of the way just as flames engulfed the giant and Leo stepped forward, his eyes blazing as fiercely as his hands. Ephialtes was shrieking curses, stamping around trying to get away from the flames. Otis pirouetted in to try to help his brother, but Percy slashed at him and he retreated. While Leo and Percy kept the giants occupied, Jason and Annabeth dragged Piper away from the fight.

"Oh gods," Annabeth sobbed as she moved Piper's arms away from her wound. Piper didn't want to look. She focused on Jason as he whipped off his shirt and handed it to Annabeth.

"Try to stop the bleeding," he said. As Annabeth pressed the shirt against Piper's midsection, Jason cradled her head, brushing her hair out of her face. Piper was getting dizzy from blood loss, but she tried to focus on his eyes, which were the same bright, clear blue as the sky above him. "Stay with me, Pipes. It's going to be fine. Do we have any ambrosia?" he asked Annabeth.

Annabeth was already digging a baggy of the squares out of her backpack. Her broken right arm was cradled against her stomach. She handed Jason the ambrosia and used her left hand to press Jason's t-shirt hard against Piper's middle. "Give her an entire square. We need this to start healing _now_."

The edges of Piper's vision were going black as Jason helped her to eat the ambrosia. It tasted like her dad's black bean soup. She felt feverish, but she wasn't sure if it was because of the ambrosia or the wound.

She could still hear the sounds of Leo and Percy fighting the giants. Judging by the groans and curses from the giants, she figured the boys were winning. _That's good_, she thought drowsily. Her eyelids were getting heavy.

"Don't go to sleep!" Jason demanded, an edge of panic in his voice. He lifted her into a half-sitting position and Piper gasped as a wave of agony radiated out from her stomach. "I'm sorry, but you have to stay awake. Is the ambrosia working?" he asked Annabeth.

Annabeth shook her head. Piper tried to focus on her friend's face, but it was blurry. She thought she saw tear tracks on Annabeth's cheeks, though. "The wound's really deep and there's too much blood. I don't know if—if the ambrosia can work fast enough."

"We have to do _something_," Jason said fiercely.

Leo came into her vision as he knelt next to Jason. His face turned pale when he looked at her. "Gods, Piper," he said weakly.

"Do you have anything in your toolbelt that can help?" Jason asked.

Leo rummaged in the belt's pockets, but all he came up with was some gauze and a box of Band-Aids. He cursed. "Nothing useful."

Jason swore. Piper was starting to feel cold, despite the warm summer air and Jason's arms around her. She figured that was a bad sign. Jason's face swam into view as he leaned closer to her. He kissed her, but she could barely feel it; it was as if her consciousness was already leaving her body behind. "Please, Pipes. You can't leave me."

She tried to say she didn't want to leave him, but she didn't seem able to speak.

The world around Piper was becoming hazy but she distinctly heard a yell, followed by a massive splash of water, accompanied by screams. A second later, Percy dropped to his knees beside Annabeth. "Dropped the river on them," he said. "It'll keep them from reforming, but we can't win without a god."

"Somebody looking for a god?"

Piper couldn't see where the new voice was coming from, but her friends' heads turned and Annabeth gasped, "Lord Apollo!"

A new face swam into view above Piper. With her blurry vision, he looked kind of like Jason, with the same blond hair and blue eyes. He winced. "Spear to the stomach. Ugly, but I've seen worse."

"Can you help her?" Jason asked.

"God of healing at your service," Apollo said. His hands were warm as he placed one on Piper's forehead and one on her stomach. He closed his eyes and began to hum. A rush of heat spread through Piper, then seemed to settle at her midsection. She sucked in her breath as she felt the damaged muscles, organs, and skin begin to knit back together. It was uncomfortable, but much better than the excruciating pain she had been experiencing. Her vision began to clear. She blinked and suddenly she could see Jason, Leo, Annabeth, Percy, and Apollo all sharply outlined against the sky. Apollo finished his song and raised his hands. Jason helped Piper to sit up. She looked down at her stomach. The only sign of her wound was a hole in her t-shirt. She didn't even have a scar. Piper looked up at Apollo, who was sitting back on his heels looking pleased with himself. "Thank you," she said.

"My pleasure," he said, flashing her a grin. His teeth were blindingly white. "Now, where are those giants?"

Percy jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "The river."

Piper looked at the river where two lumps that almost resembled Ephialtes and Otis were swirling in their own personal whirlpools. They were bickering with each other with their half-formed mouths. Apollo snapped his fingers twice. A wail went up from the giants as a column of fire blasted them into dust.

"Two more giants down," Leo said.

Annabeth winced as Percy helped her up, still cradling her broken arm.

"Oh, almost forgot about you," Apollo said. He laid a hand on Annabeth's arm. The next moment, the bones had mended themselves.

"Thanks, Lord Apollo," Annabeth said.

Apollo waved his hand airily. "Don't mention it."

Leo and Jason helped Piper stand. She still felt a little shaky, so she leaned against Jason, who wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her cheek. "Glad you're okay," Jason told her.

"Me, too," Piper said.

"Yeah, that was some nice magic," Apollo said. "Very noble, trying to protect your friends and all."

"Would it have worked?" Piper asked.

Apollo shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe. Love is weird. But you must have impressed your mom because she kicked me off Olympus to come down here and heal you. And I was just about to get a perfect score on Guitar Hero."

"Sorry?" Piper ventured, a little stunned that her mother would go to so much trouble.

Apollo waved off her apology. "No big deal. You owe me a game, though. One on one, next time you're on Olympus."

"Um, sure," Piper replied, unsure whether Apollo was kidding.

"By the way," Apollo added, looking from Piper to Annabeth and Leo, "I think I need to apologize for my mother. She's pretty bitter. But the truth is, Hera has the right idea about your quest. And Demeter, too. Trust that weapon."

Thunder rumbled and Apollo glanced up at the sky. "That's my cue. But before I go, one piece of advice." He looked at Percy. "I'm usually all about the hot, but try to keep your cool when you get back to your ship. The schizophrenia's hit him hard, but he means well."

"Okay," Percy said. "And who are we talking about?"

"You'll see." Thunder boomed. "And now I really have to bounce. Good luck, demigods. You'll need it." On that happy note, Apollo disappeared in a flash of golden light.

"Just once," Leo said, "_just once_, I would love to get a straight answer from a god."

"You and me both," Percy muttered.

"Come on," Piper said. "We'd better get back to the ship so we can deal with whatever this new problem is."


	18. Chapter 18: Annabeth

*****Here's Chapter 18. Chapter 19, featuring Hazel's POV, will be up by Tuesday, May 6. Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!*****

**XVIII. ANNABETH **

After Apollo left, Annabeth, Leo, and Piper filled Percy and Jason in on what had happened at Demeter's altar.

"Darn," Percy said, looking at the corn-cob torches, "I was hoping for a Celestial bronze nuclear warhead or something."

"Same here," Leo said.

"Demeter said they'll help us," Annabeth told the boys as she put the torch back in her backpack. "We'll have to trust that it's true."

The five of them set off to hike back to the ship. Piper had insisted she was fine to walk back, but after stumbling twice, turning pale, and wincing as she put a hand on her stomach, she agreed to let Jason fly her back to the ship. This left Annabeth, Percy, and Leo to make the short walk back to the pier, which they did in silence, each of them lost in their own thoughts. Demeter's corn-cob shaped torch bounced lightly against Annabeth's back with every step she took. She tried not to recoil from it. Despite what she had told Percy and Leo, she hated the idea of the torches. Sure it was great they had a weapon that would supposedly help them defeat Gaea and the giants, but Annabeth didn't like how Demeter had answered Piper's question about knowing when to use the torches.

"You will know it is the right time because there will be no other options."

The goddess had made it sound like they were already doomed, as if every other plan would fail, leaving them with only the torches to use as a last resort. Annabeth refused to believe that. There had to be more than one way to win.

When they reached the ship, they found Piper and Jason consoling Frank and Hazel, who looked frantic.

"What's going on?" Percy asked.

"You guys were gone _all night_," Hazel said. "We've been terrified."

"What do you mean 'all night'?" Annabeth said. "We just got out of the caves less than two hours ago."

"We came out of the caves _yesterday_," Hazel said. She looked exhausted. "Frank and I got back to the ship yesterday. We've been here all night and most of today waiting for you guys to get back. We even went back to the ruins, but without the cornucopia we couldn't get in."

"So we've been gone an entire day?" Leo asked, his brow furrowed. "How is that even possible?"

"Time flows differently in magical places," Annabeth said, echoing Piper's words in Demeter's cave. She took a deep breath. "But at least it was only a day. We still have plenty of time to get to Athens."  
"That's not all, though," Frank said, exchanging glances with Hazel. "We had a visitor."

Quickly, Frank and Hazel told the rest of the crew about their visit from Neptune and the message he had left for Percy.

"'How do you put to sleep that which is not awake?'" Annabeth repeated. "That was the message?"

Hazel nodded. "He said Percy would understand."

"Well, he's wrong," Percy said bluntly. Everyone turned to look at him and Annabeth's stomach dropped. His jaw was clenched and his eyes were overly bright. "I have no idea what he's talking about." He shook his head in disgust. "The first message from my dad in a year and that's it."

Waves were rising around the ship, responding to Percy's anger. Annabeth fought to keep her balance. "Percy—."

"Thanks a lot, Dad!"

"Percy!"

"Thanks for your cryptic, useless advice. It's just great. Gods forbid you actually _help us_!"

The _Argo II_ was now rocking wildly, like in a storm. Waves were beginning to wash across the deck. Hazel stumbled against Frank, who caught her. Jason and Piper were flung against the railing and Leo slammed into the controls as a particularly large wave hit the ship. Annabeth just managed to keep her footing. She took a step towards Percy, determined to slap him if she couldn't get his attention. "PERCY!"

Percy finally looked at her. He blinked and suddenly seemed to realize what was happening. His eyes widened in horror. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and the waves died down. The crew managed to get back to their feet. Percy looked at Hazel. All the color had drained from her face, which was now tinged with green. Frank was still supporting her. "Hazel, gods, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—."

Hazel waved away his apology. "It's fine. But I'm just going to—," she pointed down the stairs. Frank put an arm around her waist and helped her walk, throwing a look at Percy that was equal parts nervous and annoyed.

As they disappeared, Percy turned to the rest of the crew. "Guys, I'm sorry."

Leo shrugged. "Dude, we've all got daddy issues."

Percy snorted. Annabeth was watching him closely. He was still angry; she could see the tension in his neck and shoulders. He turned to her and said, aggressively, "What?"

She raised her eyebrows. "You want to try that again?"

He looked at her for a moment, then seemed to deflate. His shoulders drooped and he leaned back against the railing, running his hands over his face. Annabeth moved closer to him. Piper, Jason, and Leo, gathered around the controls, studiously ignored them.

"I'm sorry," he said again, his voice muffled from his hands over his face. He dropped his hands to look at her and the hurt expression in his green eyes made her heart twist. "It's just that after everything, the amnesia, Camp Jupiter, Rome, _Tartarus_, the first thing my dad says to me is _that_." Percy slammed his fist against the railing. "And he doesn't even give me the message in person."

Annabeth took another step closer, so she was standing right in front of him. "Hazel's father let her be dragged off to Alaska to die. Jason's never even _talked_ to his dad. My mother sent me on a suicide quest that ended with me falling into Tartarus. None of us are doing that great with our godly parents, Seaweed Brain."

Percy took a shaky breath. "Yeah, you're right. I was being an idiot."

"It happens." Annabeth took his hand. "Besides, your dad cares about you. You know that. I'm sure he wouldn't have bothered giving you this message unless it's going to help in some way."

"Maybe," Percy said. "Plus we've still got, what, a week before the Feast of Spes? That should be enough time to figure out a battle plan for Athens, how to use those torches from Demeter, and my dad's advice, right?"

"We'll figure it out," Annabeth assured him. She kissed him, lightly, since their friends were only twenty feet away. "We always do."

Leo suddenly yelped and Annabeth turned in time to see his nose burst into flames. He quickly patted it out, but he looked stunned.

"What's wrong?" Piper asked him.

Leo swallowed. "Guys, Festus says we've been gone seven days."

Silence.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" Annabeth asked.

"Today is July thirtieth," Leo said. "The Feast of Spes is the day after tomorrow."

* * *

Percy cursed. "I _hate_ magical places."

"On the plus side," Piper said, "we didn't miss it."

"Yeah, but this changes things." Jason looked grim. "I'll get Frank and Hazel. We need to decide what we're going to do now."

"A week," Annabeth said. "We lost a week. For all we know, the war with the camps could already be over."

"I don't think so," Leo said. He punched a couple of buttons and a holographic message appeared above the controls. "I got an e-mail from the Kerkopes guys. Don't ask me how; they probably stole someone's laptop. Anyway, it says, 'Still slowing down the Romans. Collecting lots of shinies. Hope you're not dead, Blue-bottom.' It was just sent today."

"Why do they call you 'Blue-bottom'?" Percy asked.

Leo turned red. "Not important. Point is, it sounds like the Romans haven't attacked Camp Half-Blood yet."

"So there's still time for Reyna, Nico, and the coach to get the statue there," Piper said.

Jason reappeared on deck with Frank and Hazel, who still looked pale. "We've been gone a week?" she said.

"Looks like it," Leo said.

Frank groaned. "That gives us a day to make a battle plan and execute it before the giants raise Gaea."

"Before the giants _try_ to raise Gaea," Annabeth corrected. "They're still missing a crucial part of their plan."

"Demigod blood," Piper said, nodding. "They still need two of us."

"With that in mind," Leo said, "I suggest staying here tonight. We make sure the ship and our supplies, weapons, everything are in top condition. We're only fifteen miles or so from Athens. Probably not smart to get any closer until we're ready to actually fight. No reason to make it easy for them to capture us."

"That actually sounds like a really good plan," Annabeth said, impressed.

Leo grinned. "No need to sound so surprised."

Frank frowned. "But we still need to make a battle plan for Athens."

"The problem is we don't know exactly what we're facing when we get to Athens," Percy pointed out. "Hard to make a plan when you don't know what the other side's army looks like."

Annabeth's mind was racing. "You're right. We need to know what type of forces Gaea has assembled in Athens." She glanced at the horizon, where the sun was beginning to set.

"It's too late to do anything about that today," Jason said, echoing her thoughts. "But we could send out scouts tomorrow, see if we can figure out what's going on. Like Leo said, it's only fifteen miles away."

"I'll go," Frank volunteered. "I can turn into a hawk or a pigeon or something."

"A pigeon?" Leo's mouth twitched.

"What?" Frank said defensively. "There's tons of them in all the big cities, no one would notice another pigeon."

"That's a great idea," Annabeth cut in before Leo could respond. "So, for now, let's focus on getting everything ready and tomorrow morning, when Frank gets back, we'll come up with our battle plan. Does that work?"

There was a general murmur of agreement, then the crew broke up in order to get to work on their various tasks of preparing for the battle ahead.

* * *

For the first time in a week, Annabeth didn't dream about Tartarus. But her new nightmare was so bad, she almost wished she had.

She was standing on Half-Blood Hill, next to Thalia's tree, but something was wrong. Peleus the dragon was gone. So was the Golden Fleece. She heard a snort and looked to her right. Her heart thudded as she saw Octavian standing there, his arms crossed, a grimly satisfied expression on his face as he gazed down at Camp Half-Blood.

Annabeth felt a hot rush of anger as she looked at the skinny augur. She would have punched him, but considering the fact that Octavian hadn't commented on her sudden appearance, she knew she wasn't actually on Long Island; she was just observing what was going on through her dream.

Down in the valley, she could hear the familiar sound of Clarisse shouting orders. The valley was full of activity as campers prepared for battle, rushing around priming catapults, putting on armor, and sharpening weapons. At the bottom of Half-Blood Hill, Annabeth could see a small Roman contingent, like a scouting party. They looked bored. Two of the kids were sitting on the grass playing Mythomagic. Others were leaning on their spears (_pila, _Hazel had called them) and chatting.

Octavian turned and started walking back towards the other Romans but stopped when there was a rustling in the trees nearby. He hesitated, glanced down at the Roman soldiers, then gripped the knife at his belt and stepped through the trees.

Ten feet into the forest, they came upon a sight that made Annabeth want to cry with joy. Reyna, Nico, and Coach Hedge were standing there, at the base of the Athena Parthenos statue. Reyna was saying to Nico, "—glad you didn't pass out this time."

Nico shrugged. "Maine to Long Island isn't a bad leap." He looked up at the statue. "So, we're back. Now what do we do with this thing?"

"It's a weapon, right?" Coach Hedge said. "Let's blow something up!"

"We're not blowing anything up," Reyna said wearily, like she'd had this conversation before.

A twig crunched under Octavian's foot and Reyna, Nico, and Hedge tensed, all reaching for their weapons. But as Octavian stepped into the clearing, they relaxed. No one but Annabeth noticed the knife he had drawn and was now holding behind his back. She wanted to shout a warning, but the others wouldn't hear her. She could only observe as Octavian walked slowly toward the group gathered around the foot of the statue.

"Octavian, what are you doing here?" Reyna asked. Her eyes narrowed. "If you launched an attack without my orders—"

"The attack hasn't started yet," Octavian said smoothly. "We're waiting until the Feast of Spes so that the goddess of hope will favor us." He looked up at the massive statue. "So it was true. That Chase girl really did find the statue. Impressive—I'd assumed she would die."

Annabeth took a swing at him, but her fist passed right through his stupid head.

"Yes, we need to meet with the Greeks," Reyna said, turning to look up at the Athena Parthenos towering over the group. "Nico will go find the head of the Athena cabin, I'll return the statue to them, and hopefully then we can work this mess out."

"No."

Reyna looked at Octavian over her shoulder, like she didn't understand him. "Excuse me?"

"You are no longer a praetor," Octavian said. "You traveled to the ancient lands, making you officially a traitor. As a true Roman citizen, I have the right to kill you on sight."

Octavian whipped the knife from behind him and sank it into Reyna's back. Annabeth watched in horror as the praetor sank to her knees. Nico and Hedge were standing in complete shock. Before they could recover, Octavian screamed, "Help! HELP! This Greek traitor has stabbed the praetor!"

There was a crashing sound as three Roman centurions came running through the trees. Nico shot a murderous look at Octavian, but as the centurions burst into the clearing, he grabbed Hedge's arm and the base of the statue and shadow-travelled away.

The centurions froze in horror as they saw Reyna kneeling on the ground with the knife in her back. Octavian bent down and put his hand on the knife again.

"No, don't—" one of the centurions said, but Octavian had already pulled the knife out, causing the wound to bleed even more.

"I'm sorry," Octavian gasped, his face a mask of grief. "I was just trying to help."

"You made it worse," one of the centurions growled. "You shouldn't have removed the knife."

"I'm sorry," Octavian said again. "I'm just so shocked. I heard a noise and came to investigate and I found the praetor lying here. The Greek traitor, that child of Pluto, stabbed her."

One of the centurions, a big guy built like a football player, picked Reyna up while another pressed a shirt against her wound. "We need to get her to the infirmary, now!"

Reyna seemed to be losing consciousness, but she muttered, "Octavian—traitor—statue."

"She's delirious!" Octavian said as the group left the clearing. "We must take revenge for what the Greeks have done, to our city and to our praetor!"

Focused on Reyna, the centurions ignored him, but Annabeth doubted that would last long. The Romans would want revenge. And if they believed Octavian's lies, they would take their revenge on Camp Half-Blood.

"Will she live?" the guy carrying Reyna asked.

The girl holding the shirt against Reyna's back had tears in her eyes. "I don't know."

Annabeth tried to follow them, but the dream was fading, the woods turning to darkness around her. She thought she heard a low rumble, like the earth was laughing at her, but she couldn't be sure.

Someone was shaking her. "Annabeth. Annabeth! Wake up!"

Annabeth jerked awake. Her heart was racing and she was covered in cold sweat. She blinked and Percy's face swam into view above her, his brow furrowed and his sea-green eyes full of concern. She sat up and grabbed a fistful of his shirt.

"Annabeth, what—?"

"Reyna," she choked. Tears were spilling down her cheeks, but she didn't wipe them away. Percy now looked downright alarmed. "Octavian stabbed Reyna."


	19. Chapter 19: Hazel

*****Alright, here's Chapter 19. Chapter 20, from Jason's POV, will be up Wednesday, May 7. **

**In other news, on Rick Riordan's Twitter he confirmed that Blood of Olympus **_**will**_** have chapters narrated by—Nico! The tweet seemed serious and not like one of his joking-around ones. Have to say, I'm surprised. He was so adamant about HoH only being narrated by the Seven that I automatically assumed that would carry over into BoO. However, if it's true (and it seems to be), I for one am pretty excited—should be cool to get Nico's perspective. So, in honor of this fact, I am adding a Nico chapter to my story. It'll be up on Friday, May 9. **

**Anyway, back to Hazel and the crew dealing with the fact that Octavian stabbed Reyna.*****

**XIX. HAZEL**

Hazel couldn't believe it. The situation was too horrible. "Octavian stabbed Reyna," she repeated. "And he blamed it on Nico?"

Annabeth nodded and swiped a hand across her eyes. The crew was sitting around the table in the mess hall, everyone in their pajamas except for Jason and Leo, who had been on first watch.

"That scheming coward," Frank growled, slamming his fist on the table. "How could he do this?"

Jason had his elbows on the table and his head in his hands. "I always knew Octavian was a jerk, but I never would've thought he'd do something like this." He lifted his head to look across the table at Annabeth. "And you have no idea if Reyna's even going to survive?"

"I told you, I woke up before they took her to the medics," Annabeth said. She glanced at Piper. "But the wound looked almost as bad as Piper's."

The color drained out of Jason's face.

Hazel felt nauseous and it wasn't from seasickness. "We have to do something."

"What can we do?" Leo asked. "We have a day to stop Gaea and the giants. We can't make it to Long Island and back in that amount of time."

Percy clenched his fists on the table. "Octavian is going to use this to rouse the Romans. If they believe him, they'll obliterate Camp Half-Blood to get revenge. We can't let that happen."

"Leo's right, though," Piper said. "I want to toss Octavian off a cliff as much as everyone else, but there's no time."

"But I'm the praetor now," Frank insisted. "I should be there."

"We could take Arion," Hazel suggested. "Frank and I could go, help Reyna, and probably still be back in time to go to Athens."

"And if the two of you are captured or killed on the way?" Annabeth said. "I'm sorry, guys, but Demeter said we need to work together. I think that means it's going to take all of us to defeat Gaea and the giants. I _hate_ what happened to Reyna, but if Gaea destroys the world this won't—won't matter."

"We have to stop Gaea," Jason agreed dully.

Silence fell around the table. Judging by her friends' faces, Hazel could tell they hated this situation every bit as much as she did. There was no good solution. If they went to Athens, by the time they got back, the camps might have destroyed each other. But if they went back to stop that war, the giants would likely raise Gaea, who would destroy all of Western civilization. No matter what they chose, Hazel felt they would lose.

Another thought occurred to Hazel. "Where would Nico go?"  
Percy and Annabeth exchanged a look, then Percy shrugged helplessly. "I don't know," he said. "I doubt he'd come back here, not after they made it all the way across the Atlantic."

"He waited until the centurions came, so Reyna wasn't alone with Octavian, then he got out of there with the statue and Hedge," Annabeth said.

"But if he'd just shadow-travelled from Maine, he must have been tired," Hazel said. "They can't have gone far. And if the Romans catch Nico, after what Octavian told them—," she couldn't finish the sentence.

"Then that'll be a bad day for those Romans," Percy said. "Nico's not helpless, Hazel. He'll be okay."

"Plus he's got the coach with him," Leo added. "That's got to count for something."

Hazel wasn't totally reassured, but Percy was right. Nico wasn't helpless. He was one of the most powerful demigods she knew. She hoped he could find someplace safe to go with the statue—and Coach Hedge. "So, what now?"

"Same plan as before, right?" Leo shrugged. "Frank checks out Athens in the morning and we go from there."

"And if anyone can go back to sleep, they probably should," Piper said. She noticed the looks the others were giving her. "Just a suggestion. If we're not sleeping, we should double-check the weapons and supplies."

"Good idea," Annabeth said, standing up. "Leo, can you help me with the ship's computer? I want to see if we can bring up a city map of Athens and maybe a schematic of the Parthenon, since Percy and Jason have both had dreams about Gaea being there."

"Sure thing." Leo got to his feet, too, and the two of them left the room.

Percy stared moodily at the video stream of Camp Half-Blood for a minute, then pushed his chair back. "Think I'll check out that map, too," he said and left the mess hall.

The room was quiet. Jason was slumped in his chair, looking defeated. Piper was spinning Katoptris on the table, as if resisting the urge to look into it. Hazel noticed that the arms of her own chair were now studded with rubies, which was not something she had done intentionally. Suddenly, Hazel couldn't bear to sit here; she needed to do something. She met Frank's eyes. "Let's go see if they've found anything," she said.

He nodded. "You guys coming?" he asked Piper and Jason.

Piper glanced at Jason's bowed head. "In a minute," she said.

Hazel and Frank climbed the stairs back to the main deck, where Leo, Percy, and Annabeth were clustered around the computer.

"Got it!" Leo pressed a button on his Wii remote and over the controls appeared a holographic image of the Acropolis, with Athens spread out below it and the Parthenon perched on top.

Frank surveyed the map critically. "If Gaea really has set up command in the Parthenon, that's not great for us. It gives her the higher ground if we try to attack. Top of a hill is an easily defensible position."

"But we have a flying warship," Leo pointed out. "Why can't we just come in guns blazing, like at the Colisseum in Rome, and blast her away?"

For a moment Hazel thought Annabeth was seasick; she almost turned green. "We are _not_ blowing up the Parthenon. It's one of the most important historic buildings in the world."

"Nobody's blowing up the Parthenon," Percy assured her. "But Frank's right, we can't attack from below, either."

"Depending on what Gaea's forces look like, we might not be able to attack at all," Hazel said. "At least, not a frontal assault. There's seven of us. Even if she only has a couple dozen monsters with her, we'll be in trouble."

"And if she has the giants with her, we're in serious trouble," Leo said. "We can't defeat them without a god on our side."

"Apollo showed up to help today," Percy said. "Maybe the Olympians can get their act together long enough to give us a hand in Athens."

The five of them looked at the map, beginning to comprehend the magnitude of the problem facing them.

"We need more information," Annabeth said finally. "Hopefully Frank can learn something tomorrow. Then, we can make a plan."

"And put an end to _both_ wars," Hazel said fervently.

"Exactly," Annabeth replied.


	20. Chapter 20: Jason

*****Hi all, here's Chapter 20. Thanks again to everyone who reviewed, you're all awesome! Next chapter will be up Friday, May 9, it's a kind of "bonus chapter" from Nico's POV. Also, I'm still not Rick Riordan, I'm just borrowing the characters.*****

**XX. JASON**

Jason usually tried to be upbeat but this—this hurt. He felt like he'd been sucker-punched. He also felt incredibly guilty because he was partly responsible for putting Reyna in this situation. Jason was so busy feeling awful about everything that he didn't immediately notice that everyone but Piper had left the mess hall.

She put a hand on his arm. "Jason, I'm so sorry. I know she means a lot to you."

Jason was grateful she said "means" and not "meant" since, as far as they knew, Reyna was still alive and would hopefully stay that way. He swallowed the lump in his throat. "We've been friends for a long time. And she's a great praetor. I just never thought—I mean, I know Octavian is a," he called Octavian a name that made Piper raise her eyebrows, "but I never would have thought he was capable of murder, or attempted murder, or whatever." He put his head in his hands again.

There was quiet for a few minutes, then Jason heard Piper huff in frustration. He looked up to see her sheathing Katoptris.

"The stupid knife never shows me anything useful," she complained. "I ask it to show me Reyna and all I get is the Parthenon. And what looks like a mountaintop."

"Thanks for trying," Jason said, taking her hand.

"Reyna's a fighter," Piper said. "She traveled across the Atlantic and halfway across Europe _by herself_. She's going to be fine. Unfortunately for you, that means she'll have beaten Octavian to a pulp before you ever get a chance to hit him."

Jason cracked a smile at that. "Yeah, he may not live long enough to regret this if Reyna recovers."

"_When_ Reyna recovers," Piper corrected.

"Right." Jason looked at his girlfriend suspiciously. "Charmspeak?"  
"No. I just really believe what I'm telling you."

Jason met Piper's eyes, with their swirling kaleidoscopic colors. He said a silent prayer of thanks to Apollo for helping them today and to Aphrodite for sending the sun god to heal her daughter. Jason had never felt more helpless in his life than he had on that hillside, seeing Ephialtes stab Piper and then being unable to do anything to save her. As if she knew what he was thinking, Piper leaned over and kissed him.

"It's been a long day," she said.

"That's an understatement."

They were quiet again, watching the flurry of activity at Camp Half-Blood on the video feed. Jason had a sinking feeling in his stomach. He knew the legion. He knew how they would react to what had happened to Reyna, on top of what happened at Camp Jupiter. If Camp Half-Blood couldn't fend off the attack, the Romans wouldn't just win. They would obliterate the Greeks and salt the earth where the camp had once been so that nothing would ever grow there again. Total destruction.

"We can't let it happen," he murmured.

"The war between the camps?" Piper asked.

"Yeah," Jason said. "There's good and bad at both places, but if we could work together, both camps would be stronger. Look at our crew—we've got a mix of Romans and Greeks and we're better because of that." He looked at Piper again. "We've got to defeat Gaea and the giants so we can get back and save the camps. We have to shut Octavian up and explain about the eidolon that possessed Leo, and about Gaea, and the Athena Parthenos, and Hera's plan, and all of it. The Romans will listen. They're not all like Octavian. Most of them are good people."

"Like you. And Frank and Hazel. And Reyna." Piper kissed him again. "We're going to defeat Gaea and save the camps. I have no idea how, but between all of us, I know we can figure it out." She got to her feet and held out her hand. "Come on, let's see if the others found anything good on those maps."

Jason took her hand and followed her out of the mess hall.

* * *

As it turned out, the others hadn't found anything especially helpful on the maps. And it was only a little after two in the morning, way too early for Frank to fly to Athens. All their equipment and supplies had been checked before everyone went to bed, so there wasn't really anything to do, but no one seemed to want to go back to sleep either. Finally, Percy looked over at Jason.

"Want to spar?" he asked.

"Yes," Jason said immediately. It would actually be nice to work out some of his anger and frustration.

They moved to the middle of the ship. Jason had on jeans and a purple Camp Jupiter t-shirt, while Percy was wearing basketball shorts and a Camp Half-Blood t-shirt; Jason tried not to read too much symbolism into their shirts. Piper, Hazel, and Annabeth were leaning against the railing, while Frank and Leo were standing at the helm. Jason drew his sword and Percy uncapped Riptide.

"Let's do this," Percy said.

They circled each other for a moment. By this point, they had a good idea of each other's fighting style. Jason knew that if he hung back, he could play off Percy's impatience. Just as he expected, the son of Poseidon attacked first. Jason blocked Percy's strike and twisted the blades so that he could swing his sword up in a slashing movement. Percy dodged the blow and faked another strike from above, but at the last moment he jabbed at Jason's exposed right side. Jason caught the attack on his blade and then immediately attacked low, causing Percy to jump back. Jason pressed his advantage, forcing Percy to go on the defensive as they exchanged blows. Jason's mind went on autopilot, his reflexes kicking in: strike, parry, duck, dodge, block, jab, feint.

Jason was surprised that Percy didn't try to go back on the offensive, but when the son of Poseidon took another step back so that he was standing against the railing of the ship with the sea behind him, Jason realized he might have been led into a trap.

Percy grinned. "Want to make things interesting?"

Jason narrowed his eyes, but he grinned back. "Don't start something you can't finish, man."

"I'll take my chances."

A massive wave rose up behind Percy. Before Jason could move, the wave crashed over him. He heard some shrieks and shouts from the others. When he blinked the saltwater out of his eyes, Percy had disappeared.

"Alright, Jackson," Jason muttered, "it's on."

He summoned the wind to carry him up and over the railing. He stayed about ten feet above the water, alert for any sign of a disturbance. Then, about five feet to his left, he saw a ripple. Jason zoomed backwards just as Percy burst out of the sea on a water spout. Jason blocked and parried his friend's blows, but Percy was significantly stronger on the water; it seemed to add power to his swings. Jason had to resort to flying higher up just to get a quick break.

"It's cheating if I can't reach you," Percy called.

"And it's not cheating when you have the whole ocean at your back?" Jason replied.

"That's just called using your resources."

Jason laughed. Then he dropped out of the sky, almost on top of Percy, but Percy had been anticipating this because he deflected Jason's attack and summoned a wave to carry him back to the ship. Jason followed, dropping lightly onto the deck. "Tired?"

"Not a chance," Percy said. He gestured to the ship. "Neutral ground, though."

"Ah, got it." Since he had hung back before, Jason now attacked first, hoping to throw Percy off. It worked for a second, because Percy was a moment slow at getting his guard up, but that didn't last long. They exchanged blows with a speed that left Jason relying entirely on his reflexes and instincts; if he stopped to think, he was going to be in trouble. It was his favorite kind of sword fighting, just relaxing his mind and letting his muscles take over.

Finally, arms shaking, Jason held up a hand and stepped back. "I give."

Percy lowered his sword. He was out of breath. "Should we call it a draw?"

"Sounds good." Jason wiped the sweat out of his eyes. "You've got some moves, man."

Percy grinned. "Thanks. You too.'

At the helm, Leo whistled. "Glad you guys are on our side."

Jason and Percy walked over to where the girls and Frank were standing against the railing.

"Not bad," Annabeth told Percy. "But you're still letting down your guard too much on your left side. You need to work on that." She handed him a glass of water, which Percy gulped down. "But overall, pretty good."

"Thanks," Percy said.

Jason took the cup of water Piper handed him. "You got any tips for me?" he asked her.

Piper laughed. "That would be a no. To be honest, I could hardly follow what was going on sometimes. You guys are fast."

"We'll keep working on the sword fighting," Hazel assured her. "Pretty soon you'll be kicking their butts."

"Awesome," Piper said.

Jason leaned against the railing next to her. The workout had made him feel better, but he still had a massive brick of guilt sitting in his stomach over what had happened to Reyna. And, since it was long after midnight, today was July 31st. Which meant that tomorrow was the Feast of Spes. One way or another, their quest would be over.

"So, I had a thought," Leo said.

"Uh-oh," Jason replied.

"Ha ha," Leo pulled up another holographic map of Greece and pointed to the blinking dot that showed the _Argo II's_ position near Eleusis. "Since we're all awake anyway, we could go ahead and sail down the coast." He traced the route with his finger. It cut through a channel between an island and the mainland before opening up into the bay near Athens. "We can stay anchored out of sight of the shore, but we'll be a little closer to our destination and it won't be so far for Zhang to fly tomorrow. Or today, technically."

The crew exchanged glances, then Annabeth said, "Sounds like a plan."

"Alright then, let's roll," Leo said. He pressed some buttons, flipped a couple switches, and the engine came to life. Festus blew fire toward the sky.

Jason had butterflies in his stomach. Judging by the serious expressions on the others' faces, they felt the same way. After weeks of travel and months of planning, this was it. The final leg of their journey.

They were on their way to Athens.


	21. Bonus Chapter: Nico

*****Here's the "bonus" Nico chapter (since Rick Riordan said on Twitter that there will be some Nico chapters in the real Blood of Olympus), hope you like it! Chapter 21, from Leo's POV, will be up by Tuesday, May 13. And to answer the questions of the Guest reviewer, the story is going to be 40 chapters total and I hope that the ending I've planned feels realistic, that's my goal. Thanks again to everyone who reviewed!*****

**NICO**

Nico was beginning to regret coming to the Triple G ranch. Not that Eurytion, the giant cowherd, and his two-headed dog Orthus weren't good hosts; they were great, actually, and Eurytion's barbeque was the best Nico had ever had. But it was currently 110 degrees in the shade in Texas and Nico was not enjoying it. Plus, his skin honestly wasn't used to this much sunlight. Nico was pretty sure he was going to look like a tomato soon. He'd already been turned into a cornstalk in Venice; he really didn't feel like resembling any other vegetables. So he stayed on the farmhouse porch, in the shade, wishing for a breeze to make the day a little less sweltering. But, like most of the things he wanted, he didn't get it. The air was as still and suffocating as the jar Ephialtes and Otis had trapped him in.

_Okay, don't think about that_, Nico told himself sternly. But if he stopped thinking about the jar, and Tartarus, and Greece, he started thinking about Reyna. The image of her collapsing to her knees with a knife in her back was burned into his brain. And what had he done?

Run away. Because apparently that was what he was good at.

Telling himself he had saved the statue (and the satyr) didn't help. Nico glared at the Athena Parthenos standing in the front yard. Waves of heat rolled off its gilded surface, making the statue shimmer. So much effort, so much sacrifice for one stupid object that so far had done nothing except make everyone's lives miserable.

And after all that trouble to get the thing across the Atlantic, here they were, stuck in Texas almost two thousand miles away from where the statue needed to be. Nico slumped in his chair. He decided that if someone killed Octavian before he got a chance, he'd resurrect the skinny augur just long enough to punch him in the face. The thought marginally cheered him up.

The only good news was that, as far as Nico could tell, Reyna was still alive. At least, he hadn't noticed her die. Same with Hazel, Percy, Jason, and the others. Nico kept checking in with the Underworld, but he hadn't seen any of their spirits show up.

"So there's that," he muttered.

Coach Hedge came out onto the front porch. His baseball cap was pulled down low to shade his eyes and he was tapping his bat against his leg. The coach had thrown a fit when Nico shadow-travelled them away from camp, and not just because of Reyna. Hedge had come clean to Nico about his wife and baby. Nico had apologized for taking him away, but he finally made the coach understand it had been the best choice at the time. Once Octavian labeled them assassins, there was a good chance the Romans would have shot first and asked questions later. "You can't help your family if you've been executed," Nico had told him and, grudgingly, Coach Hedge had agreed.

Now, the satyr, too, shot a glare at the statue. "We need to do something about this. Feast of Spes is tomorrow."

"I'm open to ideas," Nico said.

"What, I have to be the brains and the brawn?" Hedge said indignantly.

Nico didn't respond. He was staring across the fields and animal pens (which were all in much better shape thanks to Geryon not yet reforming) and thinking about the last time he'd been at the ranch. He'd been lost and angry, avoiding dealing with his grief over Bianca's death by obsessing over bringing her back. Percy, and Annabeth, had helped him then. Nico wanted to help them, and Hazel, Frank, Jason, Piper, and Leo, by delivering the Athena Parthenos. If the statue could heal the gods, maybe the Olympians could help the demigods in Greece to defeat Gaea.

But Nico couldn't take the statue back to Camp Half-Blood. Without Reyna to mediate, there was almost no chance the Romans would listen. However, as Nico thought about it, there might be one other place he could take the statue. It wasn't exactly what they had planned, but he thought it might work.

Nico hated to admit it, but he needed help to make this plan work. He just had absolutely no idea where to get it. The only person he'd ever really gone on quests with was Percy and he was in Greece, probably preparing for the final fight with Gaea and the giants. Same with Hazel.

As he watched the river snaking its way across the fields in the distance, Nico was vaguely reminded of Percy telling him about Bob the Titan, who had helped him and Annabeth through Tartarus. Nico rememebered fighting the Titan on the banks of the Lethe before Percy blasted him with water and erased his memory. That had been during a less-than-fun quest when Nico's goddess stepmother Persephone had recruited him, Percy, and Thalia to the Underworld to retrieve Hades's lost sword.

Nico sat up straight liked he'd been jolted with electricity. _That's appropriate_, he thought wryly. He looked at Hedge, who was still grumbling at the statue. "I have an idea," Nico told the satyr.

* * *

Nico and Thalia had never been close. She was Annabeth's friend, and Percy's. But, Nico remembered, she had also been Bianca's friend. Plus, he had a lot of respect for the daughter of Zeus and the things she had done.

Thalia listened closely as he explained the situation through an Iris message. Her blue eyes were piercing, like her brother's, and Nico fought hard to ignore the memories of Croatia and Cupid. _Focus_, he thought. When he finished explaining, Thalia didn't ask questions. She just nodded and said, "We'll help you."

"We?" Nico asked.

"Grover and I." Thalia gestured to the satyr standing next to her. Grover waved. "We're in Colorado right now, but I can call in a few favors and we'll be there in a couple hours."

"Great, thanks," Nico said, feeling a weight lift off his shoulders. It always half surprised him when people were willing to help him out. "See you soon."

He swiped through the Iris message and turned back to Coach Hedge. "Come on, we'd better get ready to go."

* * *

Eurytion was helping Nico attach a rope harness to the Athena Parthenos when Thalia and Grover walked up the gravel driveway. Orthus barked in two-part harmony and ran to greet them. Thalia scratched the dog's ears, but Grover cringed, remembering, Nico guessed, that the two-headed dog hadn't been quite as friendly the last time they'd been at the ranch. Orthus led the way back up the driveway, with Thalia and Grover following. They both froze when they saw the statue.

"Zeus Almighty," Thalia muttered. She looked at Nico. "And you say this will cure the gods' schizophrenia?"

Nico shrugged. "Supposedly. Athena told Annabeth in a dream that the statue needed to go to Camp Half-Blood, but with the war and what happened to Reyna, that's not going to work right now."

"So you want to take it to Olympus, instead?" Thalia asked.

Grover eyed the statue. "That thing's never going to fit in the elevator."

"No," Nico agreed, "which is why we're going to shadow-travel."

Grover gave a nervous bleat. "Shadow-travel onto Olympus? Without an invitation?"

"Pretty much."

"We are so going to get incinerated," Grover mumbled.

"Relax, goat boy," Thalia said, though she looked a little pale. "If this works, the Olympians will be thanking us."

"Let's get a move on, cupcakes," Coach Hedge said, coming out of the house where Nico suspected he had been sending an Iris message to his wife. "First stop, Olympus. Second stop, Camp Half-Blood." He eyed Nico. "You can get us past the barriers?"

"I've done it before," Nico said.

Hedge jerked his head in a nod. "Good. And, uh, the sooner we can get back to camp, the better, because the baby's coming _soon_."

"How soon?" Nico asked.

"Let's just say, I'd appreciate it if this Olympus business doesn't take too long."

Nico felt a jolt in his stomach. It took him a moment to realize that the feeling was excitement. With everything bad that was going on, it was a relief to know that something good, like a new baby, could happen, too. "Don't worry, Coach. You have my word that once we're done on Olympus, I'll get you home to your wife."

"Appreciate it," Hedge said gruffly, clapping Nico on the shoulder before going to the statue and picking up his part of the harness.

Thalia and Grover followed the coach's lead, strapping themselves in. Nico turned to Eurytion. "Thanks again for letting us stay."

"Glad to have the company," the cowherd said. He squinted at the statue, then held out his hand to shake Nico's. "Come back and see us again. And good luck."

"Thanks," Nico said again. For just a moment, despite the blazing sun and the humidity, he wished he could stay here on the ranch. It was peaceful. But he couldn't stay. He had to get the statue to Olympus and try to heal the gods so they could help his friends in Greece. Hazel needed him. Percy needed him. Nico couldn't let them down.

So he shook Eurytion's hand, gave Orthus a last pat, and stepped forward to take his place between Thalia and Coach Hedge. As he pulled the ropes over his shoulders, Nico said a silent prayer that his plan would work. He hoped at least one of the gods was listening. Then, he took a deep breath and stepped into the shadows.


	22. Chapter 21: Leo

*****Hi all, here's Chapter 21. Chapter 22, featuring Frank's POV, will be up by Friday, May 16. So, exciting news, Rick Riordan just posted on his Twitter today that the Blood of Olympus cover will be released by USA Today later this week. Secretly hoping it has all the seven on it, but John Rocco always does a great job, so I'm sure it'll be awesome. Can't wait to see it!*****

**XXI. LEO**

By the time the sun came up, Leo was beat. He just didn't want to admit it. They were anchored several miles away from the shore, with nothing to see but ocean, sky, and a few fishing boats and ferries. He had quadruple-checked every aspect of the _Argo II_ and was confident that the ship couldn't possibly be better prepared for the battle ahead.

Frank was preparing to head off on his scouting mission. Hazel had stayed up to see him off. Piper was also on watch, but Jason, Percy, and Annabeth had gone back to their cabins to grab a few hours of sleep. Piper was now trying to convince Leo to do the same thing.

"Seriously, you need to rest," Piper told him. "You didn't get any sleep at all last night."

"Okay, fine," Leo said absently, focusing on the diagram he had pulled up. "But just let me check these boosters, because if we need to get away fast again, like with that turtle—," he was interrupted by Piper grabbing his shoulders and forcing him to look at her.

"Go to bed," Piper said so forcefully that Leo's eyelids immediately got heavy. He was tempted to curl right up on the deck and take a nice nap.

"Yes, Mom," he yawned.

Piper gave him a push toward the steps. "Get some sleep. We can handle things for a couple of hours without you."

"Gee, I feel so loved," Leo said, but he went to his room without complaining more; he knew perfectly well he wouldn't be any good to anyone if he collapsed from exhaustion in the middle of the battle.

He was tempted to go to the engine room, but if he went down there, he wouldn't sleep; he'd get caught up in tinkering with something. And he was afraid that if Piper found him still awake, she might do something drastic. Frankly, that Boread sword of hers was pretty intimidating. So he went to his cabin and flopped down on the bed. Within a minute, he was fast asleep.

This close to Athens and the final battle with Gaea, Leo anticipated having a nightmare, but his dream turned out to be the exact opposite. He found himself on a familiar white sand beach, which still sported the crater where he had crash-landed and destroyed a dining table and chairs. Leo's heart started racing as he looked around, but the beach was deserted. He followed the well-known path through the trees toward the place where he knew her garden was.

As he came out of the trees, his heart, which had been pounding, seemed to skitter to a stop. Calypso was even more beautiful than he'd remembered. Barefoot, dressed in jeans and a white t-shirt, with her long, caramel-colored braid hanging over her shoulder, she was staring into what looked like a Celestial bronze mirror. In it, Leo could see himself, lying passed out in his cabin on the _Argo II_. It wasn't the first time he had been in a dream and seen himself asleep, but it was a little embarrassing since his mouth was hanging open and he was snoring. He figured it might be a good idea to draw her attention away from that awkward image.

"So do you spend a lot of time spying on me?" he asked.

Calypso whipped around. Leo saw a flash of what might have been happiness cross her face before she managed to summon a haughty expression. "Of course not. Don't you think I've got better things to do with my time than stare at you? Besides, I only summoned you here to give you a warning."

"Sure you did." Leo grinned as he walked towards her. "Admit it, you totally just missed the awesomeness that is me."

Calypso wrinkled her nose. "I most certainly did not."

"Liar."

Their eyes met. Calypso muttered something unflattering in Greek before grabbing his t-shirt, pulling him close, and kissing him. Leo's brain felt like it was short-circuiting, but somehow he didn't mind one bit.

"Yeah, you missed me," Leo said when Calypso let go of him and stepped back.

She smacked his arm, but it only hurt a little bit, so Leo knew he was right. "For what it's worth," he added, "the feeling's mutual."

"Great," Calypso said, rolling her eyes. "But believe it or not, I really did bring you here for a reason."

"How did you do that, by the way?"

"I'm a goddess, duh! Drawing someone to you in a dream isn't that hard. Anyway," she turned back to the Celestial bronze mirror, "I've been watching Gaea and her minions, looking into the recent past to try to figure out what their plans are."

"That's impressive," Leo said, moving next to her so that he could see into the mirror, too, which was now showing the Parthenon.

Calypso waved her hand. "I told you, the past is easy, it's the present and the future that are harder to see. Unfortunately, Gaea and the giants must be using some type of magic to hide what they're doing because I could only make out bits and pieces. But none of it is good." She ran her hand across the surface of the mirror and the image zoomed in until they seemed to be standing in front of the Parthenon. Inside the ruined temple, Leo could see swirling dark clouds, which seemed pretty ominous. He guessed they were magical in nature, though, because the mortals crowding the ruins didn't seem to notice anything.

"That looks like fun," he muttered.

"That's not all." Calypso waved a hand across the mirror again and the image whirled. When it stopped, Leo could see what looked like Earthborn, Gaea's six-armed giants, and _numina montanum_, the mountain gods, scooping rocks out of a hole they were drilling in the top of a mountain.

"What the heck?"

"It gets worse," Calypso said grimly. The image panned up. Goosebumps exploded on Leo's arms and a shiver ran down his spine as he recognized the giant operating the drill. Leo flashed back to a mountaintop burning in California months ago.

His mouth was dry as he said, "Enceladus."

"Gaea and Porphyrion spoke of pulling the gods up by their oldest roots, right? That's what they're working on here. This is Mount Olympus. The _original_ Mount Olympus. It's still imbued with the power of the gods—a part of their essence, their power, is tied to that mountain."

"And the giants are literally trying to dig it up," Leo said. "Which means my life just got a whole lot more complicated."

Calypso nodded. "You and your friends need to go to Athens first, to face Gaea. But after that, you've got to get to Mount Olympus and stop the digging. Otherwise—"  
"Otherwise Gaea will be gone but the gods will still die," Leo finished.

"Pretty much." Calypso hesitated, then said, "Also, you need to be prepared. I couldn't understand the details, but it was clear that Gaea is planning some type of final trick or attack, to prevent your crew from getting to the Parthenon. You'll need to warn your friends when you go back."

The words "go back" startled Leo out of his thoughts of giants and dying gods. "And how soon do I have to do that?"

Calypso smiled sadly. "Now, my hero."

"Are you sure? Because I'm not really in a huge rush or anything."

Calypso laughed and the sound made Leo's heart leap. He liked making her laugh. "Nice try, but I've already kept you here too long. You need to get back to your ship and your friends." She kissed him again, which pretty much made this the best dream of Leo's entire life.

"This is real, right?" he asked.

Calypso rolled her eyes. "Obviously, you idiot. Now get back there and kill some monsters for me."

"I will," Leo said, gripping her hand tightly even as he could feel himself beginning to wake up. "And then I'm coming back here and breaking you out."

Calypso's smile didn't reach her eyes. Leo hated that she didn't believe him, but he understood why. "Good luck, Leo Valdez."

Leo woke with a start. He was disoriented for a moment before he remembered that he'd slept in his cabin, not the engine room. His mind was still spinning from his dream about Calypso. If he closed his eyes, he could still see her smile. The warning she had given him was ringing in his ears.

_Gaea is planning some type of final trick or attack, to prevent your crew from getting to the Parthenon. _But what exactly this trick or attack was going to be, Leo had no clue.

He jumped when Jason knocked and stuck his head in the door. "Hey man, glad you're awake. Frank just got back, so team meeting in ten minutes at the helm. Time to make a game plan."

"Great," Leo said, sitting up and throwing back the covers. "I've got some news, too. Spoiler alert: it's not good."


	23. Chapter 22: Frank

*****Thanks again to everyone who reviewed/followed/favorited this story! Here's Chapter 22, featuring Frank. Chapter 23, from Percy's POV, will be up Monday, May 19. So, Blood of Olympus cover came out yesterday, I thought it was pretty awesome. Can't wait to read the preview with the Staff of Serapis e-book on Tuesday!*****

**XXII. FRANK**

Athens, Frank thought as he flew over it, was beautiful. The city sprawled like Rome, hills and ruins interspersed with the more modern buildings. But Athens felt even more ancient, thousands of years of history piled on top of each other like marble blocks. The one thing Frank was sure of as he rode an updraft higher above Athens and watched the morning light make the buildings glow brilliant white, was that they had to save this city.

Frank spotted the Acropolis, rising out of the center of the city, with the Parthenon perched on top. Bathed in sunlight, the temple was breathtaking, but Frank didn't have time to appreciate it right now. A vortex of dark energy, like they had seen on Santorini, was rising out of the heart of the Parthenon. Dread settled in the pit of Frank's stomach, but he flapped his wings and sped towards the disturbance.

He had settled on a hawk form for this scouting mission. Despite what he'd told Leo, a pigeon would have been just too embarrassing. Besides, his vision was sharper as a hawk. Which was a good thing because, as he reached the Acropolis, he was able to spot the Cyclopes and snake-women (_dracaenae_, Annabeth had said they were called when he'd described them to her) stationed every twenty feet around the base of the hill. The mortals ignored the sentries. Frank figured the Mist made them look like really ugly statues or something, but he doubted the monsters would allow demigods to pass through their ranks. So that was problem number one. As he flew higher, he spotted problems two, three, and four: Gaea had stationed monsters in three more rows, each a little further up the hill. There were about two hundred monsters in all, which meant that the demigods would be outnumbered almost thirty to one. Frank really didn't like those odds. But he didn't spot the biggest problem until he flew over the Parthenon itself.

The temple was open to the sky, so Frank had no problem spotting the two giants standing inside, looking over what seemed to be a map. The larger giant had lima-bean green skin and weapons braided into his hair; based on the description Jason, Leo, and Piper had given, Frank guessed that this was Porphyrion, the king of the giants. But it was the second giant that turned Frank's blood cold. The metallic golden skin, rust-red dragon legs, and hair glinting with precious stones were gut-wrenchingly familiar.

Alcyoneus was back.

* * *

Hazel slammed her fist on the table. Plates and glasses rattled. "I cannot _believe_ he's alive again!"

The crew was gathered around the table in the mess hall, alternately eating lunch and discussing their situation. Nobody had been happy when Frank had told them what he'd seen, but Hazel was irate. Her golden eyes flashed and all the silverware was shaking as if it was about to zoom towards her. Frank put a hand over her clenched fist.

"We took Alcyoneus down once," he told her, "we can do it again."

"Frank's right," Percy said in between bites of blue pizza. "And after Polybotes, Ephialtes, and Otis reappearing, we should have expected Alcyoneus, too."

Hazel's shoulders slumped. "Yeah, but it's my fault he even exists now. If I hadn't raised him—"

"You died to stop him from rising," Frank said fiercely. "It's not your fault."

"And you defeated him in Alaska," Piper pointed out. "This is Gaea's fault. She's the one who brought the stupid giants back through the Doors of Death."

Leo winced and set down his fork. "Yeah, about that. I had a—a vision or a dream or whatever about another old friend. Enceladus is back, too."

Jason and Piper both turned pale. Jason swallowed a mouthful of spaghetti and said, "Where is he? The Parthenon?"

Leo shook his head. "He's on Mount Olympus. The _original_ Mount Olympus." He quickly told them about the giants' plan to dig up the mountain and destroy the gods. "But we have to stop Gaea in Athens first. Then, she said, we can go to Mount Olympus and stop Enceladus."

"Wait, she?" Frank asked. "She who?"

Leo turned bright red and became very interested in his burger. Percy, for some reason, was also suddenly looking at his plate. Frank felt lost.

"Leo?" Piper asked gently. "Who are you talking about?"

Leo muttered something so low that even Frank, sitting across from him, didn't catch it.

"What was that?" Jason asked.

Leo took a deep breath and lifted his head. "Calypso. I had a dream about Calypso. Her island is where I ended up when Khione blasted me into the sky."

Annabeth's eyes widened. "But she was supposed to be released. The gods were supposed to set her free after the Titan war last summer."

"Yeah, well, they didn't," Leo said. "But that's going to change when we get back."

Percy looked up. "Yeah, we're going to fix that."

Leo nodded curtly and both boys returned to their food.

Annabeth took a deep breath. "Okay, so back to the problem at hand. Let's focus on dealing with Porphyrion and Alcyoneus here in Athens first. Then we can figure out what to do about Enceladus on Mount Olympus."

"Sounds good," Piper said. "And at least we don't need a god to defeat Alcyoneus."

"Yeah, but if he's been reborn here in Greece, that's an issue," Frank said. "He's immortal in his homeland."

Jason ran a hand over his hair. "And how far to an international border?"

"Too far," Frank said.

"The giants aren't even our biggest problem, though," Hazel pointed out. "How exactly are we supposed to put Gaea back to sleep?"

"A lullaby and a glass of warm milk?" Leo suggested.

"Maybe the torches will do it," Piper said.

"Aside from Gaea and the giants, there's still the army of monsters waiting at the Acropolis," Frank said. "We're seriously outnumbered. And we can't use the scepter of Diocletian again, not without Nico."

"Can't you use it?" Percy asked Hazel.

She shook her head. "I can't control the dead."

"There's also Porphyrion," Jason said. "We can't defeat him without a god."

Annabeth tapped her fingers on the table. "Let's start with the problems we _can_ solve. Theoretically, we should be able to defeat Alcyoneus and the monsters without extra help. We just need the right strategy."

"Okay, you're the strategist," Percy told her. "What have you got?"

"Actually, I was thinking that what we need is to appoint one person to be in charge of our strategy, like a commander," Annabeth said. "That way we're organized and there aren't five different people giving orders at once. And I nominate Frank for commander."

Frank was pretty sure he had heard her wrong. "I'm sorry, what?"

Strangely, no one else seemed surprised. They were nodding thoughtfully.

"That's a good idea," Jason said. "Like in the House of Hades."

"But you guys," Frank gestured to Jason, Percy, and Annabeth, "all have more real world battle experience than I do."

"Maybe so," Annabeth said, "but, Frank, you have a knack for realizing someone's strengths and then utilizing them on the battlefield in the best possible way. That's the type of strategy we need for tomorrow. So, yes, I nominate you for commander."

"I second that," Hazel said immediately, smiling at Frank.

"Third," Leo said, somewhat to Frank's surprise.

Percy raised his hand. "Fourth."

"Fifth," Piper said.

"You've got this, man." Jason clapped him on the shoulder. "I, uh, sixth the motion."

Frank's face was burning. His friends' confidence in him filled him up like a warm drink, but he was terrified of letting them down. However, after a moment he managed to say, "Thanks, guys." Then, he pushed his plate away and straightened his shoulders. "Alright, let's get to work."

*****We're almost to the climax of the story—got some fairly action-packed chapters coming up very soon—stay tuned! Next chapter, from Percy's POV, will be up by Monday, May 19. Have a great weekend!*****


	24. Chapter 23: Percy

*****Hi guys! So, here is Chapter 23, which I hope you enjoy reading. Chapter 24, from Piper's POV, will be up by Thursday, May 22. Thanks again for the reviews! Also, good news, the real Blood of Olympus preview comes out tomorrow—yay!*****

**XXIII. PERCY**

Making a plan took the rest of the day, partly because there were so many details and partly because they kept being interrupted by monsters. Several times an hour, two or three members of the crew would have to run from the mess hall where they were drawing up their battle plans to fend off first Stymphalion birds, then gryphons, followed by several _venti _attacks, and culminating in an attack by what looked like a skolopendra junior, which took all seven of them to defeat. By the time that monster sank back into the sea, blazing green with Greek fire, everyone was exhausted. Every muscle in Percy's body ached; he felt like he'd taken the final for his "Monster Fighting 101" class. And the real battle hadn't even happened yet.

"I believe this day can be called 'sucktastic,'" Leo said as he set the ship hovering a little ways over the ocean, to hopefully prevent any more marine animal attacks.

"That sounds about right," Percy muttered.

Leo told Festus to call them if there was an issue, then the crew trooped back to the mess hall for dinner and to finalize their plans.

"The timing's going to be tricky," Jason said, scrutinizing the plans as they all wolfed down their food (nothing like fighting monsters to give you a great appetite, Percy thought), "but I think this is going to work."

"It's like a machine." Leo swallowed half a slice of pizza in one bite. "Separately, it's just a lot of random pieces, but when you put everything together, it's greater than the sum of its parts."

Annabeth froze with her fork suspended in the air. She narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips, staring into space.

"Annabeth?" Piper asked.

Annabeth blinked, but before she could answer, Percy said, "That's your 'I'm planning something' look."

"I do not have—."

"You do."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. Percy grinned. "And that's your 'I'm annoyed at Percy again' look."

"She makes that one a lot," Hazel said.

They all laughed, even Annabeth. Percy gave his girlfriend a quick kiss on the cheek. "So, what's your brilliant plan?"

"It's not really a plan, more of an idea," Annabeth admitted, "but Leo made an interesting comment."

"Excuse me, _all_ my comments are interesting, thank you very much," Leo said. Piper smacked his arm. "Geez, Beauty Queen!"

"Go on," Piper said to Annabeth as Leo rubbed his arm and glared at her.

"Like I said, it's really just more of an idea, or a feeling, but the concept of a machine being greater than the sum of its parts, well, I wonder if that would apply to us, too." She looked around the table, seeming, Percy thought, surprisingly nervous. "The prophecy specifically mentions seven half-bloods. What if it's not just referring to the quest as a whole? What if it'll actually take all seven of us, working together, to put Gaea back to sleep?"

"That makes sense," Hazel agreed. "But the problem is still _how_ we do that."

"That," Leo said, pointing his fork at her, "is the million drachma question."

Annabeth shrugged. "Anyway, it's something to think about. Maybe somebody will have a brilliant flash of insight tomorrow."

"Here's hoping," Percy said.

Silence fell around the table. As far as Percy could tell, everyone had finished eating. Now they were all, like him, eyeing their battle plan, checking for any last mistakes. Percy had to admit, it was a pretty sweet plan, if it worked. Annabeth had been right in nominating Frank for commander; the big guy was seriously skilled at utilizing everyone's strengths to create a hopefully winning strategy. As far as Percy could tell, the only problem with the plan was their one major wildcard: the gods. They thought they had figured out a way to defeat Alcyoneus, but there was no way they could take out Porphyrion without some serious godly back up.

Jason must have been thinking along these lines, too. "Aphrodite sent Apollo to heal Piper," he said. "Surely one of the Olympians will help us out tomorrow, too. I mean, they don't want the world destroyed either."

"Sure," Leo said. "Though it's too bad we don't have another trireme of gold to sink as a tribute."

Hazel drummed her fingers on the table. "The gods—Hecate, Dionysus—they've all forced us to prove ourselves before they step in to help. Maybe that's what we'll have to do in Athens. If we defeat Alcyoneus and the monsters—"

"—and put Gaea back to sleep," Frank added.

"Right," Hazel said. "Then maybe the Olympians will show up to help us finish off the other giants."

It got quiet again. Percy knew they had all been skirting around the issue of how to put Gaea back to sleep as they'd made their plans. The truth was, he had no clue how that was supposed to work. They were putting a lot of faith in Demeter's torches, hoping that once they were lit, a way to knock out the demented earth goddess would become clear. But, although he hated to admit it, Percy didn't have a lot of faith in that particular part of the plan. He was trying to stay optimistic, but the truth was they were relying on luck just as much as strategy.

Leo clapped his hands and the others jumped. "Good pep talk. Now, everyone who's not on first watch should probably get some rest so we can be up bright and early to kick some monster booty."

* * *

Hazel, Frank, and Piper drew dish duty. Percy found it baffling that there were magic plates that could produce any food you wanted but couldn't clean themselves. Leo went up to check with Festus about the ship's status and Jason accompanied him, since he'd drawn first watch with Annabeth. Annabeth moved to follow Jason and Leo on deck, but Percy held her back.

"I'm supposed to be on deck for first watch," Annabeth said.

"Yeah, I know, but this'll only take a minute," Percy replied, pulling her into his cabin. He shut the door, then leaned against it.

"Look, about Calypso," he started to say, but Annabeth stopped him.

"Percy, it's fine," she said. "Honestly. We've talked about this. You came back and we're together now. That's all that matters." She met his eyes and he remembered the conversation they'd had shortly after they started dating, about Calypso and Rachel and Luke. It hadn't been particularly enjoyable (actually Percy had been terrified Annabeth would stab him when he said he'd kissed Rachel), but they had agreed it would be easier to hash everything out so they could start fresh without having to feel guilty or hide things from each other. Now, Annabeth continued, "But we're going to have to make sure the gods keep their promise when we get back. Calypso deserves a chance to be happy, too."

"Yeah, I hope—I hope all our friends can be happy," Percy said.

Annabeth looked at him quizzically. "Was that all?"

"No, not really," Percy said, suddenly nervous. He had planned out what he wanted to say in his head, but now, standing here with Annabeth in his dimly-lit cabin, everything he'd planned to say went right out of his brain.

Instead he blurted out, "Before the drakon attack, at the Empire State Building last year." Annabeth raised her eyebrows, and Percy hurriedly continued, "I wanted to pull you aside then and tell you—but there wasn't time. And now with the battle tomorrow, I just—if it all goes wrong, I don't want—I mean, I think you already know but still—"

Annabeth took his hand. "Breathe, Percy. Just spit it out."

He squeezed her hand and took a deep breath. "I just wanted to tell you, you're my best friend and you mean everything to me."

Annabeth looked surprised for a moment, but then she smiled slowly. Her gray eyes sparkled in the dim sunset light from the porthole as she slid her arms around his neck. Percy's pulse began to race.

"Ditto, Seaweed Brain," she said. Then she kissed him. Percy experienced the now familiar sensation that his brain was melting. He would have given a lot to just stay in this moment.

Eventually, Annabeth pulled away, but Percy kept his arms around her. He was afraid to let go. "Everything's going to be fine tomorrow, Percy," she said. "We have a good plan; it'll work. We'll put Gaea back to sleep, take care of the giants, and sort out the mess with the camps. And then—."

"And then what?" Percy asked.

"Ask me when we get back to New York." She kissed him again. "Now, I need to get on deck. Try to get some sleep; you'll need it."

Reluctantly, Percy let her go. She gave him a last, quick kiss, then disappeared into the hallway, shutting the door behind her.

Percy tried to sleep, but his brain didn't want to shut down. He tossed and turned for a while, going over the plan for tomorrow and trying not to think about everything that could go wrong. He thought about his father's advice: "How do you put to sleep that which is not awake?"

"I don't know, Dad. What the heck does that even mean?" he muttered.

None of the others had asked him about Poseidon's message again, probably because of the way he reacted when he first heard it. Percy was pretty embarrassed about that, to be honest. He hadn't meant to lose control, it had just been such a shock. Annabeth was right, though. His dad wouldn't have given him that message unless it was important. Percy just had to trust that when the time was right, he would understand what it meant.

When he finally managed to fall asleep, his dreams were even less restful than usual. Percy felt like he was falling into Tartarus again. He was surrounded by darkness, but this time, Annabeth wasn't with him. He was alone in the dark, tumbling over and over, unable to get his bearings. Most disturbing of all was the rumbling noise that seemed to be coming out of the darkness around him. Without knowing how he knew, Percy recognized the sound.

It was the sound of Gaea laughing at him.

An urgent voice shocked him out of his nightmare. "Percy. Percy! Jackson, wake up!"

Percy opened his eyes to see Leo standing over him. "Leo, what—?"

"They're gone," Leo said. His face was ashen and his hands were shaking. "Hazel and I went up on deck, to take second watch, but there was no one there. Jason and Annabeth, they're—they're gone."


End file.
